The Wonders of A Broken Heart
by lil-battousai girl
Summary: Misao discovers her boyfriend Soujiro cheating on her one night and is heart broken. As she struggles to move on, a mysterious man named Aoshi Shinomori makes his way back into her life. An AxM story..COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

A/N:::::: Ok, this is a start on my second story! Yay me!!! It's a little short but it'll get better with each chapter. Just a little heads up, Misao's and Aoshi's personalities will be a little different(i.e: Misao wont be all super hyper and Aoshi won't be as MUCH of a block of ice. I hope that's ok with everyone.)

Disclaimer: (I guess I should write one of these….) Anyway, you know the deal, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or anything else sobs

Summary: Misao discovers her boyfriend Soujiro cheating on her one night and is heart broken. As she struggles to move on, a mysterious man named Aoshi Shinomori makes his way into her life.

She was a loser. A complete and pathetic loser. Yes she was. Misao sighed in frustration, rubbing her hands across her face. She sniffed and wiped her nose with her sleeve. She blinked the tears away from her jade eyes and covered them with her hands. She took in calming breaths and counted to ten. Misao lifted her head and looked over her shoulder. Bam! It was still there, making her instantly turn away. Nope, it wasn't a horrible nightmare after all. Her boyfriend Soujiro, was cheating on her, from right across the restaurant, with his "friend" Yumi. Misao quickly pulled herself together when her sister Omasu came back from the restroom. Instantly Omasu took notice of her condition. "Misao, are you alright?"she asked, furrowing her brows.

Misao smiled. "H-hai…."she responded as she continued to wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

"But your eyes are red Misao. Have you been crying?"asked her sister. Misao looked at her sister. 'I can't tell her, she'll cause a scene.'thought Misao.

"I accidently got some pepper in my eyes."she quickly said. Omasu's worried expression quickly changed into a relieved one. "Why don't you go rinse your eyes out in the bathroom?" she suggested. Misao quickly nodded and ran into the bathroom. She ran into a stall and cried her eyes out. 'Why!?' she thought to herself as she picture Soujiro with Yumi.

She finally stopped her crying after a few minutes. She unlocked the stall and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked horrible. She fixed her hair and washed her face before she stepped out the bathroom and back into the restaurant. She rushed back to her sister who had just paid the bill.

"All set?"asked Omasu. Misao nodded and followed her sister out of the restaurant. As she half-ran out the door, she bumped into a man who was also leaving. She looked up and saw slightly wide ice eyes looking down at her. She bowed slightly. "Sorry."she said and continued on her way out.

After a silent ride home and worried glances from Omasu, Misao finally collasped onto her queen sized bed in her lonely 2 bedroom apartment that she shared with her bestfriend Kaoru. Misao grabbed her pillow and buried her face in it. Misao's attempt to drown herself were dashed when a soft knock sounded through the apartment. Misao sat up in her bed, eyebrow raised. She looked over to her clock and saw 8:49pm in bright blue color. She sighed. 'Who could that be? Kaoru just left with Kenshin so its not them.'she thought as she crossed the living room and opened the door, only to be greeted with a broad chest. She blinked and looked up to see the same ice blue eyes that she bumped into at the restaurant. The man didn't seem to show that he recognized her though.

"Konbanwa."he said in a sultry voice. Misao shook her head. "K-konbanwa. Can I help with you something?" she asked. "Aa. Is Kaoru here?"he asked, looking down at her. Misao pulled a strand of hair away from her face. She quickly scanned him with her eyes. He was very tall and built. His jet black hair was silky and covered his eyes. He looked like someone who didn't talk much. His eyes held no emotion and his face had no smile. He was beautiful. "No, sorry but she just stepped out. But I can give her a message."she said. His face showed no emotion at all as he looked at her.

"Tell her Shinomori Aoshi stopped by to see her."he said. Misao nodded as she reached to her right for a notepad. She quickly jotted the message down and looked up at Aoshi, shocked to see that he was staring intently at her. She almost gulped at the intensity. "Anything else?"she asked him. Aoshi shook his head. Misao smiled slightly. "Ok then I'll tell her you stopped by."

"Arigato"he said with a bow and walked away. Misao watched after him for a second before she stepped back into her apartment. She threw the notepad onto the coffee table and plopped down onto her leather couch. She closed her eyes. She hurt all over. Soujiro, her boyfriend of over 2 years, had cheated on her. She loved him. She was angry but she couldn't get the courage to confront him at the restaurant when she saw them kiss. Misao clutched her chest, rolling onto her floor. She looked up and saw a picture of her and Soujiro, all smiles and so "in love". Her small hand slammed down onto the frame and it hit the table. The glass shattered and spilled over the table. Misao sat up and threw the picture across the room. "Its over."she whispered to herself.

She looked at the clock on the wall and read 9pm. Her cell rang in her bedroom. She stood and went to find it. As she entered her room the familiar ringtone rushed to her ears. It was Soujiro. Misao stepped over to the cellphone on her bed. The screen flashed and the song continued. Misao picked up her phone and pressed the 'ignore' button and stuffed the phone into her purse and stuck the purse in her closet. She threw herself onto her bed and looked up at the ceiling. Her thoughts wondered back to the icey tall man. 'Shinomori Aoshi….why does that name sound familiar?'she wondered. After a moment, she just shrugged it off. Her eye lids grew heavy and she yawned. Rolling over onto her side, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

A/N:::: I'm excited for some odd reason! hehehehe plz review


	2. Chapter 2

A/N::: First of all, big thanks to everyone who has read my story and reviewed! Really means a lot to me.

Next, this chapter is kinda emotional. Lots of tears and random things happening. Good news is that this chapter is longer than the first chapter. I how you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything….but enjoy anyway!!

"Wake up!!" yelled an annoyed Kaoru. Misao groaned and slapped the persistant hand away from her. Kaoru growled. "Misao, wake up!!! Come on!"she yelled out as she shoved Misao. Misao rolled off the bed and onto the floor with a loud thump. She instantly sprung up, clutching her head. "Dammit Kaoru!"she hissed and stood up. Kaoru smirked at Misao. Misao rolled her eyes and glanced down at her clock. Her eye twitched. "What the hell Kaoru?! Its 5 in the morning!"she said. Kaoru just looked at her and kept smiling. Misao raised an eyebrow at her best friend.

"Oi, Kaoru, whats up with you?"she asked, moving around the bed to stand right in front of Kaoru. Kaoru held up her left hand, thrusting it into Misao's face, poking her eye. Misao screamed and back away, holding her eye. Kaoru gasped and put her hand down. "Misao! Are you okay? I'm so sorry."she said as she checked on her friend. Misao shrugged her off and opened her good eye, while rubbing the other one. "What'd you do that for?"she hissed. Kaoru giggled and squealed. "Misao, Kenshin proposed!!" yelled Kaoru in utter excitement as she held her left hand up to show Misao her engagement ring. Misao's jaw fell open as she stared at the ring.

"No…..way"she whispered in disbelief. She looked at Kaoru who was smiling ear to ear. "Kaoru that's…..that's" Kaoru looked at Misao, expectantly. Misao smiled a bit. "That's…..awesome. Congradulations."she said and hugged Kaoru. "Thanks Misao."replied Kaoru. Misao nodded and pulled away from their sweet little hug and rubbed her face. She sighed out as she glanced back at the clock. "Well, I might as well start getting ready for work." She quickly left the room though, when her cell phone started ringing, with Soujiro's ringtone.

Misao frowned at the mirror as she cleared away the fog that she produced while taking a shower. She sighed as she continued to dry her hair with her hair dryer. 'I should cut my hair…..but' Soujiro's smiling face flashed through her mind.

**FLASHBACK::**

"No."he said quickly, surprising her for a moment. "Eh? Why not Soujiro?"she asked, leaning her head to the side a bit. His smile never faded as he looked away from her. He turned his back to her and cupped her chin in his hand. He pulled her face closer to his. "Because, I love your long hair. Don't cut it….."he said, pausing as he leaned down and captured her lips with his. She closed her eyes and his free hand held her neck, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. He pulled away after a moment, just a centimeter from her lips. "Please….don't cut it"he whispered. Even though her eyes where still closed, she blushed as she slowly nodded. "H-hai"she stuttered, letting out a small gasp when his lips captured hers again.

**END::::**

Misao shook her head roughly and turned off the dryer. She rubbed her face and walked out of the bathroom. She passed by the living room and saw Kaoru in the kitchen. Misao quickly dressed in her usual attire of denim jeans and a shirt. She slipped on her sneakers and put her hair up in a clip. She grabbed her purse and went into the living room. She placed her purse on the couch and walked into the kitchen. Kaoru handed her a cup of coffee, the only thing that Kaoru could make in the kitchen besides tragedies.

"Someone came by looking for you."said Misao as she finished her sip of coffee. Kaoru nodded at her. "I saw the notepad. Did he say anything in particular?"she asked. Misao looked up at the ceiling, trying to think. "Mmmm…..nope. Just what I put in the notepad."she replied. Kaoru nodded again. Misao raised an eyebrow at Kaoru, a sly grin spreading across her face. "Sooooo…….who is he?"she asked. Kaoru raised her eyebrow also. "He's an old friend from highschool. Don't you remember him?"she said. Misao shook her head. "He seemed familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it."she said.

Kaoru pushed away from the counter and put her cup in the sink. "Well he recently moved here and I told him where I lived so that he could come visit me. He's also a friend of Kenshin and Sano."

Silence followed after. The sound of Misao's cellphone broke the silence. Kaoru looked over to Misao who just ignored the sound. "Misao, aren't you going to get that?"she asked. Misao shook her head. "Its Soujiro."she simply said and finished her coffee.

"All the more reason for you to answer it!"exclaimed Kaoru. Misao bit her bottow lip. 'Should I?' she asked herself. The ringing stopped and she turned and looked over at the living room. "Misao…..something is up."declared Kaoru. Misao looked at her.

"Tell me what happened."whispered Kaoru. Misao could feel her eyes burning up. She blinked the tears away and sighed. "He cheated on me, Kaoru."she whispered. Kaoru's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT!? Misao are you sure?!"she yelled. Misao covered her face with her hands. "I saw him yesterday……he was with Yumi."she said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Kaoru rushed over to her and embraced her. She couldn't find anything to say to Misao because she knew that it wouldn't comfort her. Instead, Kaoru just hugged her and let her cry. A couple of minutes had gone by before Misao straightened up. She wiped her face with her hands and sniff softly. She backed away from Kaoru.

"Sorry about that Kaoru. I should be going. I think I might be late for work."she said, her voice soft. Kaoru nodded at her. "It'll be ok Misao."she whispered. Misao looked down and just nodded. She hugged Kaoru. "Thanks."she said and walked past her. She grabbed her bag and left the apartment. Misao walked a couple of blocks until she reached The Aoiya, her grandfather's restaurant in which she worked as a cook. As she walked into the restaurant she saw her grandfather already setting up tables. "Jiya, good morning."she said and Okina. "My pretty Misao!!"she said happily as he embraced her in a bear hug. "Jiya…..can't breath."she said. Okina let her go and smiled at her. "Misao, we have a new employee today."

Misao started making her way to the back, Okina following behind her. "Oh really? A new waitress?"she inquired as she set her bag down on a small counter. "No, a new chef."he said simply. Misao looked at Okina. "You're not firing me are you!?"she asked. Okina laughed and shook his head. "Of course not my pretty Misao. Its just that since the reataurant is getting bigger, we will need mor of everything. But I expect that you will show the new chef the ropes when he arrives."he said. Misao mock saluted her grandfather. "Of course Jiya. Wait….did you say 'he'. I'm shocked you didn't hire some young girl that you could harrass."she said, looking at Okina. He shut his eyes and rubbed his beard as he walked away. "Nonsense Misao, pretty young girls are ment to be the waitresses."he said in a sing-song voice as he left. Misao shook her head and pulled out her cellphone. She flipped it open, her eyes widening when she saw that she had 45 missed calls and 45 voice messages, all from Soujiro. She closed her phone and slipped it back into her purse before she walked back to the main restaurant area.

"Misao, please come over here."saod Okina from the entrance. Misao walked to the entrance and saw a man standing in front of Okina. "Misao, I'd like you to meet our new chef, Shinomori Aoshi."said Okina with a smile. Misao looked over at Aoshi and he gave a nod to her. "Shinomori Aoshi, we meet again. I'm sure it'll be a pleasure to work with you."responded Misao.

"Misao,I'm delighted you still remember Aoshi!"said Okina. Misao looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"she asked, glancing at Aoshi, who stood silent. "I know him?"she asked her grandfather, to which he nodded happily. "Of course, he was our neighbor and a friend of yours."replied Okina. Misao rubbed her head. "Really?"she asked. Okina's smile seemed to fade. "Well maybe you just forgot, due to your little accident a couple of years ago."he whispered, somewhat. Misao could feel her heart sink as she watched Okina's expression. Okina still blamed himself for her 3 month coma she suffered when she was 17. She and Okina had been in a car crash which caused her to go into a coma and lose half her memory.

Misao gasped. "Oh wait!!"she suddenly said and both men looked at her. She turned to Aoshi. "We went to highschool together!!"she said. Okina instantly perked up and hugged her. "You remember!"he said happily. Misao let out a small laugh. "Yeah."she said and looked at Aoshi. He just stared at her, his eyes boring into hers. "Misao, why don't you show Aoshi around the restaurant before we open?" suggested Okina. Misao nodded and watched as Okina happily skipped off to chase after the young waitresses. She turned to Aoshi and smiled. "Let me give you a tour."she said and walked ahead of him.

She spent next 10 minutes showing him around the comfy restaurant. When they ended up in the kitchen, she turned to him. "Well, there you are. End of the tour. What do you think?"she asked. Aoshi rested a hand on a counter and looked around the big kitchen. "It is a nice restaurant."he replied. Misao simply nodded and looked down. Silence over took them as they just stood in place. Misao sighed and let her eyes wonder around the place. She turned her back to Aoshi as she heard a slight crash in the front of the restaurant, followed by some crying. She turned back to Aoshi and found him taking out some supplies. As he set them on a counter, she walked over to help. "So…..how old are you?"she asked. Aoshi spilled a spoon in a bowl. "24."he replied. "Me too!"she exclaimed. She looked up at Aoshi but he only continued to set up the supplies.

"Shinomori-san."she finally said. Aoshi looked at her. She nervously fiddled with her hands. "I hope I didn't offen you when I didn't remember who you where. It's just that-" "It alright."he said, looking away. "You still don't know who I really am, am I right?"he asked. Misao scratched her head. "….Yeah."she whispered. Aoshi turned to her, coming closer to her. She looked up at him. "Try."he said. Misao gulped as she stared into his eyes which seemed to flash with pain and pleading her to remember. The door swung open and Okina poked his head in. Aoshi went back to setting out things and Misao stood in place. "Misao….Soujiro is here."he said. Misao's eyes widened. "Tell him I can't see him right now. I'm busy."she said.

Okina frowned. "Now, Misao. How can you turn your boyfriend away like that? Come out and see him. He's worried about you." Misao rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."she mumured. "Misao?" came Soujiro's voice. Misao stood still, watching as Okina withdrew from the door and Soujiro came in. Misao's heart beat faster at the sight of him. She couldn't avoid him now. He rushed over and embraced her and kissed her. She didn't respond to his affection but he didn't seem to notice. "I've been calling you since last night. Where have you been?"he asked, smiling playfully at her. Misao pulled out of his embrace and turned back to her work. "I've been busy, Soujiro" she replied. "Listen, why don't I just call you later?"she suggested. "Misao, is everything okay?"he asked, touching her cheek. She pulled away. "Yeah everything is fine."she quickly said and turned towards Soujiro. She couldn't believe what he done to her and how he showed up to see her, acting like he was completely innocent. "Misao, we need to talk now."he said a little to sweetly.

She couldn't handle this anymore. "Sou-" But she wasn't able to finish her sentence. Soujiro knelt down infront of her and pulled out a little velvet box. Okina gasped in happiness. "Misao, will you marry me?" Misao looked up at Okina's beaming face, Aoshi's slightly narrowed eyes, and Soujiro's fake love filled eyes.

Her lip trembled and her eyes stung. She snatched her hand away from his grasp and slapped not once, not twice but three times. "Get out!"she screamed. The velvet box dropped to the floor and Soujiro stumbled back to his feet, holding his burning cheek. Misao picked up the box and chucked it back at him. "You're nothing but a liar and a cheater! We're done! Get out!"she yelled. Soujiro stepped up to her, grabbing her wrists. She yelped in pain and was snatched forward. But she was quickly let go of when Soujiro was snatched back by both Aoshi and Okina. "Leave."warned Okina, pointing to the door. Soujiro didn't budge until Aoshi stepped up. "Leave"he repeated. Soujiro glared at him but slowly left the kitchen. Okina rushed over to Misao but she stopped him.

"Jiya, its time to open." Okina got the hint that she did not want to deal with this now. He kissed her forehead and walked out. She wiped her eyes. She looked up at Aoshi and turned away. "Thanks you for what you did Shinomori-san, even though you didn't have to." Aoshi handed her a napkin and she smiled in thanks. "I'm so trouble-some. Sorry."she sniffed and wiped her eyes. "We should get to work."she said and washed her hands. "Kaoru tells me you're a friend of hers and that you recently moved here."

"Aa."

"Do you live near by?"

"Across the hall from your apartment."

"Oh really? That's great because then you could come talk to us when you need to."

"Aa."

"I don't remember you. But I guess you're not much of a talker."

"Aa."

"Does it bother you that I talk so much?"

"No, you talked more when you were younger."

Misao bit her lip. "I'm really sorry I don't remember you. I bet you were a great friend." Aoshi looked at her, scanning her face. Her eyes were puffy, her nose red and her cheeks pink. He turned back to his work. "Whenever you need to talk, I'll listen."he replied. Misao blinked in surprise but smiled.

"Thanks Shin-"

"Aoshi."

"Thanks Aoshi."

He didn't respond, just nodded and continued with his work. Misao glanced at him, trying to remember who he was to her. Her mind wondered to Soujiro but she quickly shook her head. "Misao, can we get two cups of tea?"asked Kiro from he door. "Coming right up!" she yelled back and poured the tea into two cups, put them on a tray and handed it to Kiro. She sighed as she prepared herself for the busy day ahead. She glanced at Aoshi, smiling a tiny bit.

"Tell me…..about us"

09-14-07

A/N::::: ahhhh!!! I finally posted the 2nd chapter to this….a little quicker than I expected but oh well. I liked this chapter a lot and I made a lot of changes before I finally chose to go for this version. I hope everyone liked it. Please review people so I can find out what you liked about the story!!

I'm not exactly sure when I will update but it will be soon. I MIGHT update tomorrow or in a couple of days but I will update this week!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:::** Sorry it took long for my next update, but school kept me busy this week. But hey, atleast I update within a week. I hope people are still reading this story! But yeah, this chapter was hard for me to do because I couldn't think of what to write because I've been having stressful things running through my mind, but I'll get through them.

**Disclaimer::::** I don't own anything.

Misao frowned at Aoshi. "Why not?"she asked, placing her hands on her hips. "We must work."he simply said. "But we can talk while we work." She suggested, a smirk on her face. She look over at Aoshi expectantly only to have him ignore her. She sighed in defeat. "Fine, I guess I'll just……talk and talk and you're going to have to listen to all of my chatter and blabbling and listen to me whine and cry and just BITCH."she said, her smirk turning into a smile. Aoshi looked at her and she almost blushed when she thought she saw a glint in his eyes. "Fine."he said, his deep voice barely reached her ears. She stood, shocked at him, because he was actually the first person that, basically, wanted her to talk. She let out a nervous laugh and turned away before she would do something embarrassing. But God did not love her for she slammed into the wall.

The rest of the day went on without anymore embarrassing moments. They didn't talk much because she didn't want to annoy him. She was out of the kitchen most of the day because she was needed as a waitress. Now as she hugged her grandfather goodbye, she glanced over at Aoshi as he walked out the kitchen. "Be careful Misao."warned Okina. Misao nodded. "Yes Jiya. I know. Kenshin is meeting me halfway, so don't worry."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."voiced Okina as he waved goodbye. Misao sprinted out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk. The sun was just starting to set and the fall colors were more breathtaking. Misao rounded the corner and stopped in her tracks when she saw Aoshi standing there, with Kenshin. Kenshin smiled and waved at her. Misao rushed over and smiled at Kenshin. "Kenshin, congradulations. About time you proposed to Kaoru."she said with a laugh. Kenshin blushed. " Thanks."he said. He glanced at Aoshi. "Aoshi tells me that he works in Okina's restaurant now." "That's right. He doesn't talk much but he'll do."she said. Aoshi coughed at the comment and both Kenshin and Misao laughed. "Its getting dark, we should go."said Kenshin. All three began walking to Misao's apartment complex.

"How was your day Kenshin?" she asked as she looked at him. "Quite fine, Misao. I won another case."he said, a slight smile on his face. Misao nodded. Kenshin was an accomplished lawyer, afterall, who won every case he had. Her phone rang again but she ignored it. She was getting tired of him calling. Kenshin looked at her bag where the phone was. He frowned.

"Misao….I heard about what happened."he said slowly. Misao let out a sigh but just smiled. "About last night…"she glanced at Aoshi who was looking straight ahead. " or about what happened at the restaurant?" Kenshin seemed to fidget under her calmness. "Both."he responded, sticking his hands in his pants pockets. Misao let out a small "Ah." As she nodded slowly.

"Well what about it?"she inquired, her eyes wondering. "I'm sorry to hear that it happened." He replied. Misao stopped walking, making Kenshin and Aoshi stop along with her. "Misao?"asked Kenshin. She wasn't looking at them, but was looking across the street and at a small outdoor café. Kenshin followed her line of vision and narrowed his eyes, seeing Soujiro and Yumi. Soujiro had kneeled down, proposing to Yumi, who of course accepted. Misao turned away at the sound of the people clapping for them. "Lets go home."she murmured and continued to walk. No one said a word and Kenshin didn't ask her anything. Misao looked up at her apartment complex, her apartment windows shown with the yellowish glow of lights coming from inside. As they climbed the stairs up to her apartment, she took her time. She blinked when she bumped into Aoshi's back. He looked at her and she apologized and walked around him to open the door to her apartment. Kenshin thanked her as he walked in but Aoshi continued to walk across the hallway to his own apartment. "You're welcomed to come in Aoshi."she called after him. He turned to her and just looked at her. "Please."she said, a sad smile greeted her face. He walked back to her and entered the apartment. Misao walked in after him and closed the door. "Aoshi!" Misao turned and saw Kaoru coming up to Aoshi and hugged him. Misao kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag and walked into the kitchen.

She came back with four cans of tea and saw Kenshin and Kaoru standing by the front door. "You guys going out?"she asked. "Yes, I hope that okay with you Misao."said Kaoru. Misao smiled. "Of course its okay. Just bring her back by midnight Kenshin." She said as she shut the door behind them. She turned and saw Aoshi standing in the living room. "You wanna stay and chat Aoshi?"she asked. He didn't say anything, but he also didn't make a run for the door. "Sit."she offered, smiling when he did. She offered him a green tea and he took it gratefully. "Did you like your first day at The Aoiya?'she asked as she opened her can and took a sip. "It was entertaining."he replied, looking at Misao. Sher eyes lowered from his. "I didn't mean to cause that scene. I apologize." The corners of Aoshi mouth quirked up. "But he did deserve it…right?"she asked, looking at him for reassurance. "Aa."he replied taking another sip of his tea. Misao let a smile show as she quietly giggled. "I don't know….what I ever saw in him."she whispered. Her eyes shone with tears but she blinked them away before smiling at Aoshi. "Do you have a girlfriend Aoshi?"she asked.

He glanced at her for a second as he sipped his tea again. He pulled the can away from his lips and sat silent for a minute before he replied. "I did." Misao saw his eyes flash with love. She smiled at him, somewhat sadly. "I bet you loved her very much." Aoshi nodded at her. "I still do." Misao bit her lip. "Want to tell me about her?"she asked. Aoshi didn't respond, so Misao decided to change the subject. "How long did I know you Aoshi?" He looked over at her as she beamed at him. "Since we were both 5. We were neighbors. We were best friends."

Misao scooted closer to Aoshi, excited. "Wow! I bet I followed you everywhere, right?" Aoshi nodded and she laughed. Her laughter ceased after a few seconds and she stared at Aoshi. Her smile saddened and her eyes lowered. "I don't remember much from before the car crash accident. I'm sorry." "It was not your fault Misao."he replied. She couldn't explain why, but that comment made her feel a little better. "Thanks."she whispered as she crossed her legs. "Do you think we can still be best friends?"she asked in a quiet tone. He looked at her strangely and she could have sworn that she saw him smile but when she blinked, it had disappeared. "Aa."

She smiled and silence followed after his response. She slowly stood from her sitting position and looked over at Aoshi. "Do you want something to eat Aoshi?" He shook his head. "No, thank you. I must be leaving."he replied as he stood. Misao placed her tea down on the coffee table, slightly frowning. "Oh, well….then I guess I'll just see you tomorrow at work." She made her way through the living room and opened the door for him. He exited the apartment but stood right outside and faced her. "Goodnight Misao." Misao smiled at him. "Goodnight Aoshi."she responded and closed the door when he walked away. She sighed as she leaned back against the door. She was tired from everything that has happened. She plopped down on the floor and racked her brain for answers.

A sudden knock, literally banged her out of her self-wallowing state. She quickly stood and opened the door and was met with the sight of Soujiro standing out in the hallway, a frown on his face. She began to shut the door but he stopped it with his hand and pushed his way into her apartment. She tried to push him back but he grabbed her wrists firmly, holding her tightly in place. She looked at him, fear in her eyes. "We need to talk." He said firmly. She struggled to free herself but wasn't successful. "Soujiro, just leave me alone!"she screamed. Soujiro's eyes soften. "I know that you still love me."he whispered. She shook her head furiously. "N-no."she said. Soujiro backed her up against a wall, his eyes deeply searching hers. "Tell me you love Misao, please." His hands were now on her shoulders. She felt tears streaming down her face. "Soujiro why are you doing this? You are the one who cheated. You are the one marrying Yumi." Her words were barely audible but he heard them none the less. Soujiro leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head. "I don't love you anymore Soujiro and you don't love me either. Just leave me alone, you've caused enough damage." Soujiro let a sad smile come across his face. He let Misao go. "Misao, my love for you did indeed disappear but I guess I don't deserve your forgiveness."

Misao covered her face. Now it was really over. He had come to her…to tell her that he didn't love her at all and to finally end it. " I really did want to save this relationship…but" Soujiro was cut off by Misao's hand as she slapped him. "I get it. We're over. I would have been able to forgive you…if you had not cheated. How long has it been going on?"she asked. Soujiro slowly lifted his hand to his burning cheek. "How long?"repeated Misao. Soujiro looked her in her eyes. "A year." That had hit Misao hard. "Get out."she whispered. "Mis-" "Soujiro. Get. Out. I never want to see you again."

She pointed to the door. Soujiro opened his mouth to say something but then closed his mouth. As he stepped out the apartment, she rushed over and closed the door. She had finally decided what to do. She wasn't going to cry anymore and she wasn't going to think of him ever again. She was finally going to move on. She stepped out onto her balcnoy and let the fresh night air hit her body. Her eyes travelled over to the balcnoy next to hers and saw Aoshi sitting down on a chair, reading a book. _'Aoshi'_ she thought. He lost the love of his girlfriend. She tried to remember back to when they were friends but couldn't come up with anything. But suddenly she remebered something

_'It would be best if you forget me'_

_'Like I could ever do that. No matter what, I could never forget you.'_

_'You're so innocent'_

_'And you are so selfish for wanting me all for yourself.'_

_'Can you blame me?'_

_'No. Because I feel the same for you.'_

_'Good.'_

Misao shook her head and shut her eyes. _'That was me….and...who?….Aoshi?'_ She shook her head agin. "No."she said to herself and pushed away from the balcony and headed back inside her apartment.

Aoshi sighed as he watched her head back inside. He looked back down at the photo album in his lap. A picture of Misao looked back up at him. He reread the words that she had written on the photo. _'Now you can have me all to yourself, even when I am not next to you'_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I am back with the newest installment to this story. I apologize to those reviewers who have wanted me to update for the longest. I have been busy since I graduated highschool and am now in the process of finishing my first year of college. But am back now. Thank you to my reviewers who left such nice comments!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Though I would kill to own Rurouni Kenshin! *shakes fists*

"You're kidding……right?" she asked as she looked over the dress. Kaoru frowned, her eye twitching. "Misao!" she yelled at her best friend. Misao shrunk away from Kaoru, in fear of her attacking. "What?! You told me to be truthful!" Misao yelled back, glancing at the horrible dress in front of her eyes. Kaoru fumed and put the dress back. "But I really liked that dress."she said. Misao rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. That dress was hideous. It looked like a trash bag!!" Kaoru gasped."It did not!"she countered. Misao waved her off. "Hey, I'm trying to be a good friend and help you pick out your dream wedding dress, but you're making this difficult."

Kaoru sighed and decided not to fight with Misao. She glanced over at the dress and did find that it was quite….ugly. "Go find another one."voiced Misao and Kaoru just nodded and took another dress off the rack and went into the changing room. Misao re-adjusted herself in her chair and flipped through a bridal magazine. She flipped open the magazine and saw a bride and groom kissing, a beautiful wedding dress and the perfect hair styles. She groaned and closed the magazine, slightly sliding down in her chair. She checked her watch and groaned. Two hours. She had been there two hours. Misao crossed her legs and crossed her arms across her chest. It had been a rough week for her. Thoughts of Soujiro plagued her mind constantly. And the fact that he had dinner at The Aoiya yesterday with his fiancé Yumi, didn't help her out either. Kaoru, who had just gotten engaged last week, was dragging her around to help plan for the wedding, which was going to be in two months. Work was however, interesting, thanks to Aoshi. He was beginning to open up a little more to her. She smiled a little, recalling their last conversation.

_Misao's eyes widened. "No!"she said, excited. Aoshi merely nodded at her. Misao threw her head back and laughed, slapping her hands on the coffee table in front of her. She wiped tears from her eyes and tried to calm her laughter down when she saw Aoshi's face. She giggled and then coughed when she regained her composure. She looked at Aoshi, his serious face made her burst into laughter once more. "I…I'm sorry."she managed to say. She coughed once more and took deep calming breaths. "I…I can't believe I would so something like that to you."she said. She was sitting right across from him in her livingroom. He had come over at her insistance and shared stories with her about their childhood. "You also blamed it on me."he said. "What? So let me get this straight. I went caused the microwave to explode, causing the whole kitchen to be completely covered in who- knows- whatt…and blamed it on you?"she asked. Aoshi nodded. Her smile widened at that. "Did your mother believe it?" "Somewhat."he replied. Misao laughed once more. She looked at Aoshi for a small while, just taking in his appearance. He seemed calm, relaxed and seemed to be enjoying telling her stories._

_Misao pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest. "Aoshi…what else did we do when we were kids?" Aoshi sipped his drink before he answered her. "We always went for walks."he replied. He looked out of the window that was next to him to look out at the night sky. "On nights like this?"she whispered. Aoshi shook his head "No….everyday."he replied._

"Misao!" Misao sat up in her chair and blinked. "What do you think?" asked Kaoru. Misao looked up at her and she couldn't help but smile. "Oh Kaoru, its beautiful!"she said. Kaoru beamed and did a little turn. "Really? Because I fell in love with this dress."Misao nodded. "This is the one."she said as her eyes filled up with tears. Kaoru squealed in joy and ran over to Misao and hugged her. "Thanks for coming with me Misao."

When they finally got home, Kaoru immediately left with Kenshin to take care of more things, leaving Misao alone once more. Misao quickly changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a white tanktop. She made her way onto the balcony for some fresh air. Her eyes instantly traveled to the balcony next to her, wondering if Aoshi was there. Sure enough, there he was. He was sitting on the railing, reading his book. She smiled at the sight. 'He even looks good in glasses' She furrowed her eyebrows and then shook her head, brushing off her thought. "Aoshi!" Her yell caught his attention and he looked up. "Misao?"he asked. She waved at him and walked to the end of the balcony. "Aoshi…do you want to go for a walk?" He put his book down and took off his glasses. "Aa."he replied. She jumped up and ran back inside her apartment and slipped some shoes on. She grabbed her keys and she was out the door. Once in the hallway, she eagerly waited for Aoshi. When she saw his door open, she zipped across and hurried him along. "Come on!" she said as she tugged Aoshi down the hall. "What's the hurry?" he asked her. Misao looked up at him. "No hurry. I'm just eager!"she replied. They hurried down the stairs and onto the street.

Misao stopped walking and looked up at Aoshi, who just stared down at her. "Well?"she asked. Aoshi raised an eyebrow. "Well?"he replied. Misao smacked her teeth. "You're supposed to lead me somewhere! I don't know where we used to take walks!"she exclaimed. Aoshi blinked and then looked around. "This way."he whispered and made his way down the sidewalk. Misao smiled and followed. They walked in silence for a while before they ended up at the park. They continued to walk until Aoshi stopped infront of a tree. He looked up at it and pointed out a straight branch. "I first met you up in that branch."he said softly. Misao stared up at the branch in wonder. Aoshi looked down at her. "Try to remember." His eyes seemed to plead to her. She flushed and looked back up at the branch.

"_Why are you up there?" Five year old Misao stopped in the middle of her song and looked down to the ground and saw a boy with ice blue eyes looking up at her. "I'm sitting."she replied. "Why you sitting up there for?" he asked. "Cuz its fun." The boy blinked. "I like your eyes."she said and watched him blink again. She laughed. "Whats your name?"she asked him. They boy shifted underneath her gaze. "Aoshi."he replied. Misao smiled more. "You have big eyes."he said. "EHH!?"she yelled as she stood on the branch, grabbing the tree to keep her from falling. Aoshi watched with an amused look as Misao began to fume and yell at him. "-and how can you say something so mean!?"she yelled. Aoshi shook his head. "You have pretty eyes too." She instantly stopped her ranting and looked at him, a slight blush over her little face. Aoshi looked behind him as he heard his mother calling him. He looked back up at Misao. "I have to go. Bye." Misao watched as Aoshi quickly ran back to his mother. "Bye!"she suddenly yelled. Aoshi looked back and waved before he continued on. _

Misao looked over at Aoshi and smiled at him. "You said I had pretty eyes." Aoshi's own eyes widened slightly. "Aa….so I see you remember something.I remember that same day, after you came home from the park and saw me next door and declared yourself my best friend." Misao laughed and walked up to the tree and laid a hand on the bark. "I guess I remember somethings….Maybe all I need to do is just hear the stories." She looked over at Aoshi. "But ever since I started thinking on what I have forgotten….I feel horrible and empty…because I know that I have forgotten the most important thing. I just don't know what it is." She pushed away from the tree and sighed. "Aoshi?" she asked and he glanced at her. "Where were you after my accident?" Her question was so innocent, she needed to know why her best friend had not been there….and why he showed up years after. Aoshi stuck his hands in his coat pockets, stepping up to her and looking down at her. His eyes shown with sadness. "I left. That same day, I left. I moved away." He looked away and up at the night sky. "When I found out about your accident, I tried to call. In fact I called a lot. Yet, when I found out about your coma, I felt responsible." Misao furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"she whispered. "You were upset about me leaving. I blamed myself and resolved not to call anymore." Misao stepped up to him and grabbed his arm. "But it wasn't your fault!"she countered. His eyes challenged her own. She let go of his arm slowly and blushed a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean to over react."

Aoshi shrugged his shoulders and turned away from the tree and began to walk further into the park. Misao sighed and followed him. "So where are we going now?"she asked. "A silver bench. It was your favorite spot." Misao beamed and linked her arm with his. He flinched but soon relaxed. "What was so special about it Aoshi?"she innocently asked. "You could see my house from there."he simply said. Misao laughed. "Oh no! I was a stalker?!"she asked through her laughter. Aoshi looked at her and smirked. "You could say that." He commented. Misao smiled more and then looked at him. "I bet your smile is better than your smirk." Aoshi's eyes widened a little. "That's the same thing you said to me when you saw me next door. I was smirking at my mother when all of the sudden, your head popped out of a window and you said that to me." Misao tapped her chin and furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm trying to remember that….."

"_Hey!...Yeah, you!!" Aoshi turned his head towards the house next to his and found the same girl he saw in the park, leaning out the window. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw her. "You should smile more. I bet your smile is better than your smirk!" Aoshi furrowed his tiny eyebrows and frowned. Who was this girl? "Don't look like that! Or your face will get stuck like that forever and ever!"she continued to yell. Aoshi's frown deepened as she continued to yell. He turned away from her and started to walk back to his home. "See you tomorrow!"she yelled. Aoshi turned back to look at her. She was smiling at him, sincerely. He blinked in confusion. She seemed to be waiting for him to say something. Yet, he wasn't going to give her satisfaction. He merely nodded and quickly ran inside the house. His mother smiled at him, having seen the whole exchange. "That little girl is so cute Aoshi. You should be friends." Aoshi frowned. "I don't like her. She's too bossy…and had big eyes." His mother blinked in surprise and then laughed. He, on the other hand, huffed. No way was he going to be her friend._

Misao rubbed her head. "I remember little bits of it but I'm getting a headache." She said. Aoshi apologized as he helped her sit down on the bench. He sat down next to her and looked straight ahead at the empty house across the street. Misao followed his gaze and smiled. "My house…and yours."she said as she looked at two very distinct houses. "Aa."he replied and then looked down at her. Misao reached up and ran her fingers across Aoshi's forehead. "I'm sorry."she voiced as she pulled her hand away. Aoshi caught it and pulled her towards him. He hugged her to him as she sat, immobile. "I really missed you Misao."he whispered as his arms tightened around her. Misao smiled sadly and only buried herself deeper in his embrace. 

A/N: I realize that that was very short. Please bear with me. I am just getting my mojo back hahaha. I promise the next chapter shall be longer and filled with frustrating "almost romance" hahaha. Please review!! I shall update soon and even sooner if I get nice reviews!! Bye bye


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:::: **Finally updated again!! Yay!! Been busy with a dumb essay for school. Ugh, I hate research essays. Well anyway, here is the latest chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!!

**DISCLAIMER::: **I OWNZ NOTHING!!

Misao sighed in frustration as she plopped down on her bed. Tonight had been so hard on her. She had gotten a headache from all the memories she tried to remember. Plus she was a little sad that she was causing Aoshi pain because she couldn't remember their times together. She rubbed her face harshly and sat up as she heard the front door open. She peeped out of her room and saw Kaoru locking the door. "Back already?"she asked. Kaoru smiled at her. "Unfortunately."she responded, laughing when Misao pouted. "Kidding."she said before walking up to Misao. Kaoru instantly noticed Misao's weary expression and became concerned. "Something wrong?" Misao sighed and simply shook her head. "No, not really…I went on a walk with Aoshi and he was telling me about some of our times together. I'm just frustrated that I can't really remember most of them."she replied. Kaoru smiled sadly. "I wish I could help you remember. We all went to highschool together but you never really talked about him with me. You were his best friend and every now and then you would tell me something about him. You were a little selfish of him." Misao smiled slightly at Kaoru's comment. She felt even more guilty now. Kaoru was one of her best friends. How was it possible that with her big mouth, she didn't blab every detail about her and Aoshi's friendship to Kaoru?She grimaced as the pulsing in her head became stronger. "Ugh, this headache is going to kill me."she whined as she threw herself into Kaoru's arms. Kaoru laughed and patted Misao's back. "Come on, I'll get you some medicine and then we can go to sleep. I bet today was hard on you."

Misao rubbed the sleep from her eyes as the sunlight from her window woke her. She stretched for a minute before turning over and looking at her alarm clock. She read the neon letters and sighed. She had about two hours before she had to go to work. She blinked once more and sighed before rolling out of bed and walking to the kitchen. Kaoru was still asleep and it was too early to watch television. After Misao grabbed an apple from the fruit basket, she made her way outside to her balcony. The sun had just peeked above the clouds and the chilly morning air blew against her skin. She sighed once more and bit into her apple. She hadn't stopped thinking about the walk she took with Aoshi last night. She felt deep down that she was really missing something. It bothered her greatly that she couldn't remember what it was. She wanted to ask Aoshi but she stopped herself. If Aoshi knew something, he would have told her. She heard the door next door slide open and saw Aoshi step out. He stopped as he spotted her. She smiled. "Good morning."she said as she bounded over to the edge of the balcony. Aoshi nodded. "Good morning Misao. You seem to be up very early." Misao smiled. "Yeah, I woke up earlier than usual. Do you wake up this early Aoshi?"she asked as she looked down at his cup of tea. Aoshi simply nodded before taking a sip of his tea. Misao smirked at his usual way of answering her questions. "You should marry the tea since you love it so much."she whispered. "Aa."he automatically responded and to which she blushed. She didn't think he was going to hear her. She suddenly stretched. "Well, it looks like I should get ready for work. See you downstairs!"she quickly said before disappearing back into the house, totally missing how Aoshi's eyes never left her form.

Before she knew it, it was time to go to work. Misao quickly slipped into a pair of blue jeans and a purple turtle neck. She scrambled to find her trusting hair slip but she apparently lost it within the hour. She sighed in frustration before she finally left her long hair fall down her shoulders, she pinned her bangs back before running out of her bathroom and into the living room. She nearly knocked a half awake Kaoru down as she rushed to get to her shoes. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her purse before tripping out of the apartment and landing on her butt. She blinked in surprise as she heard a small chuckle from behind her. She looked back and stared in horror as she saw Aoshi standing there, laughing at her. "Aw…crap"was her response. He came forward and held out his hand to her. She took it gratefully. She avoided his eyes as she dusted herself off. When she finally looked up she met his icy eyes looking at her. "Are you okay?"he asked. Misao rubbed her neck and laughed nervously. "Yes. I'm sorry you had to see that." Aoshi quirked the corners of his mouth up as he watched her struggle to control her embarrassment. "We should go or we'll be late." Misao smiled gratefully at Aoshi as he obviously decided to not mention what had just happened.

When they finally made it to The Aoiya, they were met with Okina bouncing around after a group of young girls and the usual full load of customers. They made their way to the kitchen and immediately got to work. Misao grabbed her jade apron, struggling to tie it when suddenly she felt Aoshi's hands at her back. She stood still as he tugged and wrapped the straps. She felt her heart beat quicken as Aoshi's hands brushed against her back. He finished and stepped back. Misao turned, "Thank you"she whispered, struggling to keep her blush down. Aoshi nodded and turned to the door when it opened to reveal Okon. She bounced in with a smile and a dreamy look. Misao smirked. "I'm guessing Hiko-san is here."she asked. Okon nodded enthusiastically and twirled with a piece of paper in her hands. Misao rolled her eyes and quickly grabbed the paper. She scanned the writing and smiled. "So he wants the usual?"she asked. Okon nodded dreamily. "Ok. Well here,"she handed Okon the bottle of Hiko's favorite alcohol "His order will be ready in about 10 minutes. Now hurry, or Omasu will be all over him." Okon instantly grabbed the bottle and bolted out of the kitchen. Misao laughed at her sister. She looked over at Aoshi and saw him kneading some bread. She placed herself next to him and started to get her supplies ready to make Hiko's order. Aoshi glanced over at her and noticed that she was thinking about something. "Something on your mind?"he asked, his eyes scanning her face. She smiled slightly and bit her lip. "Yeah, kind of."she whispered as she boiled the water. She turned her head towards Aoshi. "I've been wondering…Why do I feel like I'm missing something. Like I am forgetting something important that I can't remember." She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration and shook her head. "I don't want to stress about it but ever since I saw you, I've had that feeling." She looked at Aoshi and found him looking away from her. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is….do you know what that could be? From what I understand, you were my best friend but no one seems to know what bond we shared. Apparently I kept you all to myself." She laughed at her last comment but her smiled faded as she saw Aoshi's troubled expression.

'Aoshi? Are you okay?"she asked as she placed a hand on his arm. Aoshi sighed but nodded. "Aa."he responded as he looked down at her. "No Misao…if something is missing…"he said as he looked away. "…it has nothing to do with me." Misao pulled back her hand and looked at her prepared food. "Oh…okay. I guess I'm just imagining things."she said, a smile returning to her pink lips. She stretched before she turned back to her food and continued to do her work. Aoshi however, had stopped doing his work and was staring at Misao with sadness. He had lied to her when he could have told the whole truth and the special past that they had shared together when they were young. Aoshi let his eyes wander away from her form. He was being selfish. He wanted to be a part of her happiness. If he told her that they had a secret relationship and that he was the cause of all her problem, then she would leave him. He wanted her for himself but needed to be cautious. With that final thought he let himself go back to his work.

The day had dragged on forever. Misao threw herself down in the empty booth and closed her eyes. It was now closing time at the Aoiya and boy was she ever grateful. She reached behind her head and rubbed her sore neck. Jiya was in the back with everyone else so she had the front all to herself. She continued to rub her neck when suddenly something to click in her head.

"_You take any chance to touch me. Oooo, do you like me?"_

_Strong hands continued to rub her small neck. She looked behind her to look at him but he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her small body to his. _

"_Aa, I do. You know that very well"his deep voice swept over her. She blushed._

"_Mou! You're so stingy"she laughed, "You want me all for yourself, yet again."_

_His arms loosened and his hands were at her neck again, this time his fingers traced her neck. She squirmed under his touch and she knew he was smiling. _

Misao closed her eyes tighter. She couldn't remember his face and she couldn't make it out either. The voice sounded familiar but it was a distant memory. She covered her eyes with her hands and whispered, "Who could you be?"

_She let him continue tracing her neck with his fingers. She loved his touch. He was so gentle and so caring. He soon stopped and gently placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him. She giggled as she knew what he wanted as he leaned towards her._

_She whispered out, "Aoshi"_

Misao instantly bolted up and instantly regretted it as she smacked into the lamp above the booth. She cursed under her breath and rubbed her head, all the while breaking into a sweat. "Aoshi!?"she breathed out in disbelief. She quickly looked around to make sure she was alone, satisfied when she was. She quickly scrambled out of the booth and paced the floor. "No…it can't be. Maybe I'm just overreacting. Yeah! That's it!"

"Talking to yourself?" Misao jumped at Aoshi's voice and quickly blushed. He looked so sexy with his unbuttoned black shirt and a white muscle shirt, his hair messy. 'Maybe I just WISHED that moment happened….yeah! He's very good looking. That memory is just a simple desire….right?' she thought as she scratched her head. Aoshi watched her with an amused smirk. "Are you ready to leave Misao?"he asked. Misao snapped out of her daze and quickly nodded. Misao looked back towards and yelled to Jiya that she was leaving before walking along with Aoshi out the door.

Once at the apartment complex, she quickly made her way up to her apartment only to come to a sudden realization as she dug through her purse. She had forgotten her keys. She reached for the knob and jiggled it for a bit. She knocked on the door and waited, silently praying that Kaoru was home. When she didn't hear Kaoru coming, she resigned. Now what was she supposed to do. She looked over to the stairs as she heard someone coming. Aoshi's tall frame sauntered up the stairs and stopped when he saw her in the hall. He walked up to her, a confused expression on his face. Misao laughed nervously. "I uh….forgot my keys…and Kaoru isn't home yet."

She looked away from his eyes. She couldn't look at him. Not when she was making up daydreams about him when they were only friends. "Are you coming?" Misao's head snapped up and saw Aoshi holding his apartment door opened, gestering her to go in. She smiled widely before running inside and immediately sitting on his couch. "Thanks Aoshi!"she said as she comfortably sprawled on the couch. Aoshi went to the kitchen and started to prepare some tea for the both of them. While Misao waited, she decided to turn the television on and sit back and relax. Suddenly she caught sight of a purple photo album that was in between some books on the coffee table. She looked around to make sure Aoshi was still in the kitchen before reaching out to the album. She ran her fingers over the worn out cover and felt a strange feeling. The album seemed vaguely familiar. She slowly opened the cover and saw many pictures of people she didn't know. She figured that they were Aoshi's family. She flipped by pages and stopped when she suddenly saw a picture of them. They were laying on the ground and looking up at the camera. By the angle, she could tell that she took the picture. She turned the next page and found more pictures of the both of them. There were little messages here and there but nothing to revealing. She turned another page and stopped. There she saw a picture of her and Aoshi. She could tell she had taken the picture but was shocked at how it came out. She was in Aoshi embrace, just like she had "imagined" earlier. His hands lingering on her neck and a small smile on his handsome young face as he looked at her and not the camera. Misao's eyes traveled down to the message written at the bottom of the photo.

"_Now you can have me all to yourself, even when I'm not next to you."_

Misao let the photo album drop from her grasp. She remembered those words.

"_Will you really be all mine?"_

_His question stunned her. She looked at him and saw his deep expression. She smiled and cuddled up to him _

"_Of course. Always! Now a better question is whether or not YOU will be all mine."_

_Aoshi chuckled and turned to her._

"_You are the only one I would want to have me."_

"_Such smooth words."she whispered._

_Aoshi reached out and caressed Misao's face before he spoke._

"_You are the only one I could ever love."_

Misao quickly picked up the photo album and rushed towards the kitchen and slammed the photo album down on the table just as Aoshi set down the tea. The sudden act had caused the tea to spill. Aoshi looked at the expressionless Misao and then let his gaze wander to the album. His face instantly became impassive. Misao's breathing quickened before she finally broke the silence.

"What is the meaning of this?! You lied to me! Why?"

Aoshi looked at her with coldness.

"Why should I tell you of something that doesn't exist anymore?"

Misao gasped at his sudden answer but quickly recovered. She could feel the tears burning at the corners of her eyes.

"Were you ever going to tell me that we were a couple?! That we shared more than the common friendship that I just questioned you about earlier? Well!?"

Aoshi stared her down but Misao was not going to let him off so easy. She wanted to know why he would lie to her. Aoshi sighed before he looked back up at Misao.

"No, I wasn't. It was nothing more than a childish crush. Nothing important."

At his words, Misao felt as if the world had come crashing down. She couldn't remember their times together but she did know that he was very important to her but she guessed the feeling wasn't mutual. She didn't know when her feet had decided to move but before she knew it, she was running down the flight of stairs.

A/N::: There are only TWO more chapters for this story. WOOT. The next chapter will be about the fateful day that Misao got into her car accident and the chapter after that will be the conclusion!! I should be able to update soon-ish….look forward to the update April….around the 2nd week or so. Plz review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:::::: **I AM EXTREMELY SORRY THIS TOOK SO LOOOONG!!! I know I promised an update waaaay back in April but I became very busy. I finished my 1st year of college back in May and I have been busy with things here and there. This chapter became extremely hard at MANY points. I had writer's block for a while and when I finally had inspiration……my computer gets a virus and EVERYTHING on my computer gets deleted. Again I am sorry this took so long to be updated. I hauled major $$ to update this since I am leaving for my vacation. Forgive me if this sucks! I lost the mojo for this chapter after my last version was deleted by the virus. Boo!

**DISCLAIMER::: **I suck lol. I ownz nothing!!!

The Past

Aoshi managed to sneak a peek over to his petite partner in the corner of the room. He inwardly sighed and rubbed his temples to ease an oncoming headache. He snuck another glance and could see that her lips were twisted into a scowl. Misao caught his gaze and instantly rolled her eyes and turned away. This time, Aoshi sighed outloud. "How long are you going to stay over there?"he asked as he looked at her fully. Misao didn't respond and instead turned a page in her math book. Never in his 17 years of life had Aoshi encountered someone so……difficult. The door creaked opened and both teenagers looked over to find Okina standing in the doorway. He was about to say something until he felt the tension in the air. "I uh…brought some drinks for you. I'll just set them on the desk." Misao smiled at her grandfather. "Thank you"she whispered and then returned to her book. Aoshi felt a frown forming on his own face. So it was just him that she wasn't talking to. Okina looked down at Aoshi in sympathy. Aoshi sensed the accusing gaze of Okina weighing him down. When the door closed and the two were left alone again, Aoshi slammed his hands down on the desk. Misao jumped at the sudden sound, the book slipped from her hands. Aoshi stood and looked down at Misao, who in in turn, glared at him. "Hey!"she yelled as she stood. "Can't you act civilized for once!?"she screamed as pointed a finger at him. Aoshi scowled at her. "What did I do that was so wrong, huh?"he asked as he stood his ground against the petite girl. Misao crossed her arms and looked away. "You know what you did."she mumbled. Now it was Aoshi's turn to roll his eyes. "Are you talking about Okita?"he asked, his eyes narrowing. Misao threw her arms in the air. "DUH! What you did in 2nd period was uncalled for! I was completely humiliated!" Aoshi scoffed at her answer. Misao's eye twitched.

She hated when he scoffed at her. "He deserved it."replied Aoshi as he challenged her glare with his own. "Don't you glare at me! You have no right!"she yelled as she stepped closer to him. "If I wasn't there at that moment, Okita would have gotten what he wanted."he said swiftly. Misao sighed in frustration. "And that would have been what?….A DATE?! So what?"she challenged. Aoshi looked at her for a moment, his eyes ablaze, before he turned away from her. "So are you telling me that you would have accepted?"he asked. Misao scoffed. "We will never find out since you had to go and punch him in the FACE!" At that, Aoshi whirled around and confronted her. "If you recall, he had you cornered in the hallway…he was harassing you." Misao threw her arms in the arms again in sheer frustration. "He did nothing wrong, Aoshi!" she yelled, only to find herself mere inches from his chest as he had closed the distance between them. "He was going to take you from me." Aoshi hadn't realized that those words had escaped his mouth until he looked down and saw Misao's eyes widen. He felt like smacking himself at his own stupidity. Misao blinked a few times, each blink causing Aoshi's heart to sink lower. She finally looked up at him and blushed. "Theres no going back now…you're gonna have to marry me now since there's no way I'm going to let you go." Aoshi eyes widen in surprise at her answer but felt a smile make its way across his face. His smile soon disappeared when he heard Misao say, "You're going to apologize to Okita-san. Now." And here he thought he was going to get a romantic and totally corny experience.

Misao smiled as she remembered that day that only happened 6 months ago. She sat in bed thinking about Aoshi. He had been running through her mind all day, like usual. A wide smile graced her lips as she recalled their very first kiss, which happened a week after his confession.

Aoshi was staring at her again, she could feel it. Misao felt the urge to turn in her seat and throw her book at his head. He was distracting her with his handsome appeal. "See something you like?"she asked, her eyes never leaving her book. "Yeah."he automatically responded, causing Misao to instantly blush and loosen her grip on her book. She felt his presence loom over her and gulped. She was afraid to look at him. She gasped when she felt his strong arms encircle her, pulling out of her chair and against his chest. He sat down against the wall, pulling her along. She smiled and looked at him with amusement. "Possessive?"she jokingly asked. Aoshi grinned at her and nodded. "I always am, when it comes to you."he replied in his sultry voice. Misao giggled and leaned against his strong chest. "You are so selfish. You want me all to yourself."she said as she laid her head against his shoulder. She felt Aoshi's arms tighten around her. "Can you blame me?"he asked in a hushed voice. Misao bit her lower lip and slowly shook her head. "No…I feel the same way about you."she replied. Silence overcame them until Aoshi's hand grasped her hand. Misao looked over at him and saw him looking up at her ceiling. "Something wrong?"she asked. Aoshi shook his head and smirked. "Everything is perfect…thanks to you."he replied. Misao laughed. "That was completely corny! But since you said it, its suddenly become the cool thing to say." Aoshi smirked as he looked at her,"Now that, was corny."he said as shifted Misao within his arms, turning her around to face him. "Misao…forgive me if I never let you go. Understand that its not that I can't…but more of that I don't want to."he said as he looked deep into her eyes. Misao's eyes softened, her eyes threatening to spill tears at his sincere words. "…Dummy"she said as she looked away. Aoshi reached out and grasped her face with his hands. Misao couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was perfect and he was with her. She loved him. She always had. She knew she always would. As Aoshi drew nearer, her eyes closed. When his warm lips touched hers, her heart skipped a beat. When his arms tightened around her waist, her own reached out around his neck. Time passed without them realizing it.

Misao smiled once again at the fond memory. She could never stop the smiled that flew across her face when she thought of him. Her was the love of her life. But even though they were in love, no one knew that they were together. Her grandfather dropped hints that he knew but never said a word. She smiled at her grandfathers antics. She was lucky to have him also. She sat contemplating her memories. She was going to graduate form high school soon. Her heart soared at the thought. Aoshi promise her that after graduation they could tell the world that they were in love. As she looked over to her clock, she frowned slightly. Aoshi was supposed to have come to see her an hour ago. She stood up from her chair and went over to her window to look across at his. His light was off and the curtains were down. Misao's frown deepened. Just then, Okina entered her room. She smiled at him. "Jiya…is it dinner time already?"she asked. Okina smiled and nodded. "Yes Misao…go down to set the table."he said. Misao cast a long glance at her window before walking towards Okina. "Misao…Aoshi called. He won't be able to see you tonight. Family business."he said as he looked at her. Misao pouted a bit but nodded in understanding. She had no idea what was happening, but she knew she shouldn't worry.

The next day at school, she was completely shocked when Aoshi skipped their class together. She sat through the class in a trance. What was going on? Aoshi never skipped class. She casted a long look at his empty desk before turning her attention back to the board. She sighed as she soon realized that it was futile to try and pay attention when her was filled with worry for him. She stared ahead of her and at the back of her classmate's head. Before she knew it, the class ended and she rushed out to try and locate Aoshi. She didn't have to look much before she found him in the library. In an instant she could tell that he was troubled by something. She quietly made her way towards him, bending down in front of him when she finally reached him. He looked up at her confused eyes and sighed. Misao smiled sweetly but than stopped when Aoshi didn't respond. "Aoshi…you okay?"she asked. Aoshi looked at her but refused to answer. Misao felt a chill run down her spine. Aoshi was definitely acting weird. She clasped his hands and shook him slightly. "Aoshi…talk to me!"she hissed. Aoshi looked at her before standing up. "Meet me after school at the park…where we always meet. There is something I need to tell you."he replied before he walked away. Misao stood stunned in place. She didn't know what too think or how to react. Aoshi seemed serious and the fact that he was acting so cold to her was nerve racking. She had no choice but to wait until after school to find out what was happening. As she made her way out of the library, she couldn't help but feel as though she was drowning within her own questions. She didn't know what she was going to face. She was scared. The worst thing that could happen would be that she wouldn't be able to see him.

Misao couldn't even describe the feelings going through her at the moment. She had just arrived at the park a few minutes ago and was feeling so anguished that she couldn't stand still. She wrung her hands over and over and paced the ground. She kept looking around, trying to spot Aoshi's tall frame. Her heart skipped a beat when she finally spotted him as he made his way over. She was so overjoyed that he showed. She ran up to Aoshi and hugged him, extremely relieved when he hugged her back, tightly. When they pulled away, Misao's comfort instantly disappeared when she looked up at Aoshi's cold eyes. "Aoshi…whats going on?"she whispered, too afraid to speak loudly for fear of shattering their time together. Aoshi;s eyes seemed to have a hard time trying to focus on only her. He looked at everything else besides her and this worried Misao greatly. "Aoshi please talk to me."she pleaded. It was then that Aoshi's eyes caught hers. Misao could sense the despair within him and she instantly felt her heart plummet. Aoshi looked into her eyes with anguished eyes. "My grandfather is dying. My mom has agree to move to take care of him. I have to take care of his businesses for him. We're moving away."he responded. Misao felt her heart race. "Its not so bad….We can see each other often."she whispered. Aoshi clenched his fist. "I'm moving to Spain. I leave tomorrow." Misao felt her heart skip a beat. He was leaving for another country. He was going to leave her. She looked up at him and found him looking at the ground. She felt angry at him. "I don't want to go, but I have a duty to fulfill to my grandfather. He has taken care of me and my mother so much after my father died. I owe him everything."he spoke as he broke their silence. Misao didn't know what to say. She couldn't trust her words anymore. But as everyone knew, Misao could never keep quiet for long. She drew a shaky breath as she looked at Aoshi. "What about me then, huh? What am I supposed to do?"she asked. She knew she was being incredibly selfish but she couldn't help it. She needed him with her. How could she function without him? "Misao, please understand th-" Misao stopped him from talking any further when she turned away from him. "You don't understand how this is going to hurt me. What am I supposed to do without you?! We were supposed to be together, always. Now you are going off to another country. You won't come back for me, I know it!"she screamed as she felt tears slide down her cheeks. Aoshi felt his lips turn into a frown. "Why are you being so selfish?"he asked in anger. "Isn't that what we do?! We act selfish with each other."barked Misao as she stared him down. Aoshi sighed in frustration. "Misao…this isn't about us. I have to do this for my family. They have no one else to turn to for help and support."

"Let them try and find someone else! You can't leave me! You to stay here with me!!"she screamed at him, before she could stop the words from coming out. Aoshi's eyes widen slightly at her comment. She could see the anger and disappointment in his eyes. "This isn't about you Misao. Don't you care about me at all? My family needs me. I don't want to leave you but this is something I have to do. Don't be selfish and make me out to be the bad guy. I am torn inside about leaving you but you need to be reasonable." After that, they both remained silent. Misao knew she was being selfish and unreasonable but she somehow couldn't come to terms of the situation. "Fine."was all she said before she walked away from him. Aoshi wanted to go after her, but his feet didn't move. He knew that she was upset but he couldn't go after her. If he went after her, it would give her hope. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he might not ever come back.

As Misao entered her home, she saw Okina standing afar in the kitchen. She walked into the room and silently looked at her grandfather. He didn't turn around as he spoke. "I take it that Aoshi has talked to you about his situation?"he asked as he peeled his potatoes. Misao bit back her anger. "Yes."was all she could manage to say. She feared she would explode at the wrong person if she said too much. They remained silent until Misao shifted. Okina turned around to look at her. "Dinner should be ready in a while. Why don't you go and rest for a bit?"he offered. Misao nodded slowly and made her way up towards her room. As she plopped down on her bed, she mentally kicked herself as she thought back on the days events. She had acted like an immature child. She knew she was wrong, but she had a strong pride. She was embarrassed and sick of herself. Misao sighed into her pillow with regret. She knew she would not be able to think of anything else but him. As her hands moved towards her phone, they hesitated. Misao felt tears sting her eyes as she thought of calling and saying goodbye. So instead, she pulled her hands back and sobbed.

Misao rolled away from the glaring sun that poured over her. She opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times before springing forward. She looked over to her clock and saw that it was noon. She gasped in horror as she rushed out of her room and down the stairs. She slammed into Okina, who caught her in time to prevent her from hitting the cold ground. Misao clutched Okina with all her might. "Jiya what time does Aoshi leave?!"she asked, her desperation fully activated. Okina looked at his watch, "He leaves in an hour."he replied. Misao quickly got out of his embrace and headed towards the front door. Everything seemed to happen in a flash. Before she knew it, she was in her car with Okina in the passenger seat. He refused to let her go alone. Misao gripped the wheel as she drove down the street towards the airport. She had to see Aoshi. She had to tell him that she loved him and that she would wait for him. She had to say sorry.

Okina saw that Misao was very emotional. He knew that she would never be able to forgive herself if she didn't get to see Aoshi. He glanced out the window and saw the blurs of the buildings as they sped by. "Misao…stop the car."he voiced. Misao didn't reply and only concentrated on the road. "Stop the car."he repeated, louder and sterner. Misao flinched at his tone but refused to listen. Her tears were spilling over and down her face. "I- I can't! If I don't see him now, I will never forgive myself for being so selfish and mean to him. I have so many things to tell him before he leaves Jiya! Please understand!!"she said in despair. Okina glared at her. "Misao listen to me. Stop this car. Driving in your condition is dangerous. Stop being selfish and stubborn!"he screamed at her. After his remark, he knew he would live to regret it.

It all happened so fast. As soon as the words left Okina's mouth, Misao went numb. He had spoken just like Aoshi. She a cold wind sweep throughout her body. She didn't deserve her life. She had turned greedy. She deserved to be punished for acting the way she was. She just didn't know what was happening all of the sudden. She was too lost in her own crumbling world that she did not hear the blazing horn or Okina's screams. The last thing she remembered was crashing through the windshield of her car before everything went dark.

Aoshi hadn't heard from anyone back home since he left a week earlier. His departure from Japan was bitter. Misao failed to call him or even come to the airport to see him. His heart ached with pain. It seemed that everything was lost now. He had called her home but no one answered. He checked his watch and decided to call one more time. If had been 3 hours since his last call. As he heard the familiar dial tone, he became nervous, like always. He expected no one to answer but oh how his heart skipped a beat when her heard the sound of a voice. "Okina."he said in happiness. "Aoshi?"asked Okina. "Aa. It is me. I am glad someone answered. I have tried calling many times, but no one answers…Is it possible to speak with Misao?"he asked, his voice getting quieter. He heard Okina's sigh and wondered why he would do such an act. "…I'm afraid not Aoshi. Misao has suffered an accident. She crashed as she was rushing out to see you the day you left. I was with her when it happened. She crashed through the windshield….she's in a coma." Okina's voice was quiet. Aoshi's mind was shattered. He couldn't find the strength to speak. Aoshi felt the phone slip from his hand but his heart, he swore, had stopped beating.

Aoshi looked over to his photo album. It had been 3 months since he found out about Misao's accident. He couldn't muster up the courage to go and see her in her state. He was the cause of all her problems. If it wasn't for him, Misao would have never had to suffer. Suddenly his phone rang. He instinctively picked it up. "She has awoken Aoshi."he heard Okina'a voice say over the phone. His heart soared with relief. "H-how is she?"he asked in a small voice. "She is doing better. But there seems to be a problem." Aoshi sat straighter in his seat. "What is it?"he asked, afraid of a bad answer. Okina struggled to tell him until Aoshi pressured him again. "She…she doesn't remember you at all. The doctor said it is selective amnesia. Its related to the accident. He said that it she would be able to remember if we try to make her remember. Would you like to talk to her so she could try to remember?" The question was so simple and so obvious to Aoshi and Okina. Aoshi felt his heart beat faster and his mouth dry up. "…No. Don't tell her anything about me. Let her forget me. It's all for the better." With that, Aoshi slammed his phone down and burying his head in his hands.

**A/N:::::: **SWEET HOLY BOJANGLES OF BAJEEBUS!!!!! Its 4 am and I havent slept all day. This took so long to update. Once again I am EXTREMELY sorry for such a late update. As I mentioned above, I hauled $$ to get this done before I left for my 2 week vacation, (which is today June 25th) . A little heads up…the next chapter will be the final one for this story. Please read and review. I love reviews!

Also, after I conclude this story, I will be starting on my next Aoshi/Misao fanfic which will consists of one-shots. If you happen to have a suggestion for a one shot and want to share it with me so I write about it, please feel free to do so. I welcome it!! Until the next chapter!! Bye bye!!


	7. Chapter 7 Final

AN: If there are still people who read this, I'm sorry for the long wait. This semester of college was especially hard for me but I survived. I also suffered from wrtiters block and some health issues (damn colds!). This is the final chapter for this story and also the longest. I hope youguys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It had been four days already since her fight with and Misao was still cooped up in her room. She refused to go to work. She refused to face Aoshi. She refused to answer her cell phone. Aoshi didn't know her number but she still didn't answer it out of fear. Fear that someone wanted to talk to her about what happened in Aoshi's apartment. Misao scoffed at herself. She almost forgot who she was talking about. Aoshi was stone cold; he wasn't going to go around telling everyone what happened. He probably already set his mind to forget even coming into contact with her that night. She rolled over on her bed and settled against her fluffy pillows. She hadn't been able to remember anything else. She knew there were big chunks of "their" memories missing but she was reluctant to try and remember. The distant footsteps outside her door reminded her that Kaoru had just gotten home. Kaoru had been worried about Misao ever since that fateful night but Misao refused to let Kaoru to talk her into doing anything about it. The soft knock on her door disturbed Misao's thoughts. She sighed in frustration.

"Misao…can I come in?"asked Kaoru.

Misao weakly rolled her eyes at her friend. However, Misao knew that if she didn't let Kaoru in, she would keep insisting. Misao sucked up her strength and rolled out of bed. She opened her door to find Kaoru standing there with takeout food in her hands. Misao instantly smiled at her best friend and let her in.

"Thought you would be hungry. By the look of your face, I could tell I was right."voiced Kaoru and she plopped down on Misao's bed. Misao nodded as she eyed the food. She hadn't eaten since the night before.

"So I went ahead and bought us some food."voiced Kaoru as she waved the food around. Misao crossed her arms across her chest and stared at Kaoru.

"What's the catch?"she asked, to which Kaoru smirked.

"Spend the night in the living room, with me and a movie, instead of in your room. Deal?"she asked.

Misao sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Fine."she replied as she headed out of her room and into the living room.

Kaoru eagerly followed her friend out and placed the food on the coffee table. They both sat down on the couch and immediately began watching a random movie and eating the food. It was only after Misao had finished her own food, that she looked at Kaoru. She looked over her best friend and smiled sadly.

"Sorry I haven't been there for you in the past few days Kaoru. I know you are stressed with your wedding plans."she said as she looked away from Kaoru. Kaoru brushed it off and leaned over to touch Misao's shoulder.

"Its okay Misao. I know this has been hard for you. However, I have a question for you."

Misao eyed Kaoru for a moment before she motioned for Kaoru to continue. Kaoru took a deep breath before she dared to speak. Misao felt her heart beat race. She didn't know why she was feeling so anxious towards this. Kaoru looked at Misao in a serious manner.

"Misao, will you be attending the wedding…even though _he_ will most likely be there?"

The question wasn't totally unexpected, but Misao was still unprepared for it, none the less. Misao sighed as she straightened herself out on the couch. She had a hard decision to make. Her best friend was getting married in two days, not to mention she was the maid of honor. Misao bit her lower lip. She realized that she couldn't be selfish in this decision. She had a habit of making things all about her, apparently. Misao reached out impulsively and hugged herself to Kaoru.

"Of course I will Kaoru. I can't let you down. I will go…for you."she replied.

Kaoru pulled away and smiled her thanks to her best friend. Soon, they resumed their eating and talking. Misao smiled as she felt relief. She had been hiding from Kaoru for days, it felt nice to finally be with her best friend and having a girls night with her. As they continued on with their night, Misao soon realized she had to call Jiya. She knew that he was worried. Misao was shaken out of her thoughts when Kaoru stood and stretched.

"Its late Misao. We should go to sleep. I have work in the morning."she explained. Misao simply nodded.

"Misao, will you be going to work tomorrow?"asked Kaoru. Misao stood up and also stretched before responding.

" I don't think so. I'll call Jiya tomorrow to let him know I'm still alive."she responded.

Kaoru smiled sadly before rolling her eyes. "I'm surprised Jiya hasn't busted down your door yet. Remember when you refused to go out on a blind date? He took down that door in seconds to get you out!"

Both girls briefly laughed at the memory.

Misao sighed, "A lot of good it did me though. That blind date turned into a failed relationship with Seta."

Misao just shook her head and smiled at Kaoru.

"I'm really happy for you Kaoru. I know you and Kenshin will definitely make it through everything."

Kaoru teared up and hugged Misao. "Thanks."

Morning came all too soon for Misao. As she rolled out of bed and automatically dialed Jiya's number, she made her way towards the kitchen. Jiya answered the phone on the third ring. Before he had the chance to yell at her, or worse, ask her if she was alright, Misao rushed to explain things. She told him she was not going into work but that she would see him tomorrow at Kaoru's wedding. When he asked if she would still work at the Aoiya, Misao didn't respond and just said her goodbyes. Misao walked out onto her balcony and reluctantly glanced over to Aoshi's balcony. There was no one there and she let herself breathe in a sigh of relief. She stared at the balcony for what seemed like a long time. She knew he was at the Aoiya, working and probably relieved that he didn't have to look at her. Misao pushed away from the balcony rail and made her way back inside. She was going crazy being stuck in her apartment, but she didn't want to run the risk of running into Aoshi. She now lived in fear of facing him. She sighed and looked towards the front door. She shook her head and made her way back to her room.

The day passed all too quickly for Misao. She had spent the whole day cooped up in her room once again. It was late afternoon when she finally decided to make herself something to eat. As she made her way across the apartment, she quickly detoured towards the front door. As she neared the door, she heard heavy footsteps approach. She froze as she quietly stood merely an inch from the door. She leaned far enough to look into the peep hole. She gulped as she saw Aoshi's broad chest in front of her door. She saw him raise his hand as if too knock, and she held her breath. But before she could react, Aoshi walked away without another gesture. Misao looked on sadly. She wanted to hate him, but as the days passed, she was beginning to think it wasn't his fault. Misao quickly composed herself and pushed away from the door. A few minutes later, Kaoru arrived, greeting her with a dazzling smile.

"Misao! Can you believe I'm getting married tomorrow!?! I'm so excited!!! Just think, tomorrow, I will be Mrs. Kaoru Himura!"

Misao couldn't help but smile at Kaoru's excitement. "Yes, I can believe it. I'm guessing that Himura is a nervous wreck right now."

Kaoru laughed. "Yeah, I guess."

Kaoru paused and looked at Misao. "Did you go out at all today?"she asked.

Misao looked away and made her way towards the kitchen. "Nope. I called Jiya and told him I would see him at the wedding. He understood."

Kaoru slightly frowned and sighed at Misao. "Don't give me that look. I f I remember correctly, you didn't speak to Kenshin for a few days when you found out he used to be engaged to someone."

Kaoru was about to say something but then shut her mouth. "Fine."she replied before she plopped onto a chair.

"Any food?"she asked as she tried to see the stove.

Misao smiled. "Of course! I am a chef you know!"

Kaoru laughed once more, which caused Misao to smile. She was glad that she had Kaoru in her life, but what was she going to do without Kaoru now that she will be leaving.

The first thing that went through Misao's mind as she awoke on Saturday morning, was why Kaoru was sleeping in her bed. Misao let her eyes wander over Kaoru's face. She immediately noticed tear stains and instantly knew that her friend was sad over leaving. Misao smiled sadly to herself before she sat up and made her way towards the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water that hit her skin didn't ease her mind. She was nervous and anxious. She had to confront so many things today. One of those things was of course, Aoshi. She quickly shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. Minutes later, she made her way back to her room, this time finding Kaoru sitting up. Misao smiled at her friend.

"Today is the big day."she whispered.

Kaoru only nodded. Misao plopped down on her bed and shook Kaoru.

"Hey…be happy. Don't worry what will happen to me. Worry about yourself and your soon-to-be-husband…I'll be fine Kaoru, I promise."

This seemed to have put Kaoru at ease. Misao laughed and hugged her friend.

"I think you should start to get ready." She said and automatically regretted it, seeing as Kaoru immediately realized it was her wedding day and panicked.

Misao glanced one last time at the hallway mirror. She had her hair up in an elegant bun, with a few strands of hair framing her face. She was dressed in a violet strapless dress and wore only a pair of diamond earrings. Her makeup was light and made her look slightly older. She sighed before she stepped away and made her way towards the living room where Kaoru was waiting for her. Misao stopped in mid step as she looked at Kaoru.

"Oh, Kaoru….you look so beautiful."she said as she took in the sight of Kaoru dressed in a strapless white gown with crystals adorning the bottom of her dress.

Kaoru blushed. "Do you think Kenshin will think so?"she asked.

Misao nodded and made her way towards her. Kaoru glanced at the front door and then to Misao.

"Ready to finally step outside?"she asked. Misao held back a shaky breath and just nodded. She had no other choice.

At the church, Misao instantly felt relieved that she hadn't spotted Aoshi yet. But she knew that even though he wasn't here yet, he would be soon. Worst of all, she was the maid of honor, which meant she would be up front, for everyone to see. As she hastily made her way towards the church doors, she caught sight of Sanosuke, who was Kenshin's best man. She walked over to him and his fiancé Megumi, who happened to be Misao's cousin.

"Hey!"she greeted them as she neared them. They smiled in return.

"Che! You look good Misao."said Sanosuke as he took in her appearance.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself rooster."she commented.

Megumi laughed as Sano grumbled. Misao let herself giggle. She missed laughing. At the same thought, she wondered if Aoshi was now around somewhere. She allowed herself to slightly peek through the corner of her eyes but didn't spot him. She let herself to breathe a small sigh of relief. Suddenly the piano was heard and the familiar chords of music filled her ears. She quickly latched on to Sanosuke as they made their way down the aisle. It wasn't until she turned around to see Kaoru walk down the aisle with her father, that she saw Aoshi. He had just come in through the door and sat down on the last bench. His eyes locked with hers for just a second before she quickly averted her eyes to solely look at Kaoru and no one else. As Kenshin stepped forward and clasped Kaoru's hand within his and smiled at her, Misao couldn't help but think had she ever shared that emotion with Aoshi. She tried to watch him out of the corner of her eye but she found it hard without turning her head. When the priest started to begin the ceremony, Misao took one quick look and saw him still looking at her. She immediately looked away and tried to forget the intensity of his eyes.

Once the ceremony ended, Misao found herself at loss. She watched as Kaoru walked down the aisle, now as a married woman. Once outside the church, she met up with her grandfather and didn't leave his side. She was afraid of being left alone. She willed herself to not look around the crowd for Aoshi. She smiled as Jiya walked towards the car, happily chatting away to her about the events she has missed. As they made their way towards the Aoiya for the reception, she was silent. She knew Jiya was trying to keep her mind off of certain topics. Once they arrived at the Aoiya, they immediately went their separate ways. Jiya went off to stalk the young women, while Misao went off and found Sanosuke and Megumi. It wasn't long before Kenshin and Kaoru were dancing on the dance floor. As she watched them in their bliss as they stepped off the dancing area. Several minutes later she felt the powerful force of being watched. She turned and came face to face with Kaoru.

"Misao, are you ok?" she asked immediately at seeing Misao's uncomfortable face.

Misao gave a small smile,"Yeah. Just a little tired. I think I should just head home and get some rest. Today has been very overwhelming" she responded.

Kaoru laughed. "It has. I feel like a ton of bricks."

Kaoru paused and hugged Misao. "Go home Misao. Rest. I'll call you tomorrow to see how you turn out."

Misao smiled. "Thanks Kaoru. I'm going to miss you. Remember to call me. I wish you the best."

With that said, she hugged Kaoru goodbye. She found Kenshin and wished him the best before saying goodbye. As she made her way out of the restaurant and stepped into the afternoon sun, she sighed to herself. She had made it through the day. She felt heavy in her chest and knew that she was being selfish. She was only thinking about her own feelings, but she quickly began to walk. She didn't want to break down in front of random people. She just needed more time. She began to walk down the two blocks that would take her to her apartment. It wasn't until she rounded the corner that she heard heavy footsteps behind her. Her heart rate increased slightly. She knew instantly that those footsteps belonged to Aoshi. She willed her feet to take longer steps, almost jogging. As the footsteps followed, her jogging turned into running. She ran around a corner, her heart raced more as she saw the apartment complex come into view. She let a smiled reach her lips as she neared the stairs. She was so focused on the steps that when she suddenly fell, it took her a moment before she realized it.

She felt a hot pain at her ankle and finally realized that her right heel had been caught in a hole and had broken. The heel now laid a few feet from her throbbing leg. The sweet victory she had almost tasted had now left her with a bitter aftertaste. A large shadow loomed over her small frame. She cursed silently to herself. She was now trapped. She quickly glanced up as Aoshi's hand reached out to her. Misao instantly shoved his hand away.

"I don't need your help."she spat out as she glared at him.

Aoshi, however, was unfazed by her. He sighed and gently poked her ankle, causing Misao to hiss out in pain.

"You need my help."he responded as he picked her up before she had a chance to fight him.

He carried her up the stairs, bridal style, not speaking and not looking at her. She was relieved for the silence. She was determined to not meet his eyes. She was afraid of what could happen if she did manage to look at him. As they arrived on their floor, Misao was surprised that Aoshi walked past her apartment and was quickly opening the door to his.

"Drop me off at my apartment."she voiced but Aoshi only ignored her as he opened his door and carried her in.

He moved towards the couch and gently set her down before leaving the room. Misao let herself look towards the coffee table, holding a breath when she saw the photo album again. She turned away as Aoshi re-entered the room with a first-aid kit and kneeled down next to her. She was in so much pain that she just couldn't fight Aoshi off when he grabbed her ankle and started to disinfect her small cuts. Soon, he was done with wrapping her ankle up and placed a small bag of ice on it. Misao surveyed the swollen ankle before glancing at Aoshi.

"Thanks" she spoke quietly.

Aoshi didn't respond and merely just placed the first-aid kit on the coffee table before disappearing into the kitchen. Misao let out a small breath, not knowing what else to do. When Aoshi came back, he was holding a small bowl of fruit.

"You should eat something" he said as he placed the bowl in front of her.

Misao ignored his gesture and just looked towards the front door. She could feel Aoshi intently watching her. She sighed once more, turning towards Aoshi.

"Thanks for the treatment, I'm going home now."

Before she made the attempt to stand, Aoshi quickly stood in her way.

"You can't walk. Don't make it worse."

Misao rolled her eyes before he spoke again.

"We need to talk."

Misao sighed yet again before she spoke. "We have nothing to talk about. Unless you want to 'dump me' after all these years, then let me go home."

"Misao-"

"No!...Okay? Theres nothing to say! I obviously meant nothing to you. You went through all this trouble to lie and stay out of my life, why not just keep it that way?!"

Aoshi glared down at her and Misao glared back. Aoshi scanned her face with a deep look.

"I love you."

Misao's eyes widened in shock but she quickly shook it off and scoffed at his confession.

"If you did, then you would have let me be with you."she whispered.

Aoshi fisted his hands. "The accident was all my fault."he countered.

Misao knew she couldn't get up and hit him so she hit him with a small pillow.

"You're such a selfish jerk! You only think about yourself and you don't think about how your solutions would affect others."

She hit him again.

"You robbed me of my most precious memories. How could you!?" she screamed as she finally threw the pillow at him.

The room fell into silence and Aoshi stood still watching Misao attempt to stand. He suddenly reached out and grabbed her arms and sat her down before she could protest. He grabbed the photo album and flipped it open to a picture of them together.

"What are you doing?" asked Misao as she scanned the picture.

" This was our first date. We had gone out for miso soup. It was the day I punched a guy who asked you out."

Misao looked down at the awkward picture of them. She rolled her eyes and closed the photo album.

"You don't get it."she replied and turned away from him.

Aoshi resisted the urge to grab her and shake her. Aoshi kneeled down infront of Misao and bowed his head.

"Tell me how to fix this." He whispered.

"Tell me why you wanted to be out of my life so badly…and why you even came back."she responded.

Aoshi look up at Misao.

"When I heard that you couldn't remember me, I decided to keep it that way. Because of me, you almost died. Because of me, you put yourself in danger. I lived the rest of those years in guilt. When my grandfather died, I took over his company for about 2 years. My mother took over when I decided to become a chef. The reason I came back to Japan was because I wanted to work here. I met Okina by accident. He offered me the job and I took it. In truth, I only accepted because I wanted to see you. I thought I was finally ready to face you. The reason I kept away was because I did not want you to hate me. I would not be able to bare it…I'd give my all if I could turn back time and write myself out of your life in order for you to be happy once more."

Misao bowed her head in surprise. She felt the urge the smirk at their stupidity. She came to the realization that she was truly selfish. She had only thought of her feelings but never gave a thought of how much guilt he had to feel. She felt a burning tear roll down her cheek. She was such a stupid girl. She had gotten carried away like always. She was the only one to blame for both of them. She wiped the tear away and quickly picked up the discarded photo album and placed it in Aoshi's hands.

"Tell me more about those photos." She spoke.

He looked up in surprise. Aoshi's eyes softened at her request. He continued to stare at her until she frowned.

"Are you going to tell me or am I just going to have to leave?!" Aoshi hid his amusement and sat down next to her and cast her a grateful look.

It was dark outside as Aoshi pulled away from the window and returned to the couch where Misao was asleep. He knew that he should have woken her up but he just wanted to have her to himself for a little more. He allowed himself to smile at his jealousy. He made his way to the kitchen and switched on the radio at a low volume. A sweet melody flowed out and he leaned back against the counter and listened.

_I hear your voice calling now_

"_Come over here"_

_To me, lonely and looking defeated_

_Now I can see you, walking toward me_

_As I wait with my eyes closed_

_My heart was clouded by tears until yesterday_

_But my heart bursts with joy now…_

_Do you remember when our eyes first met?_

_Do you remember when our hands first touched?_

_That was the beginning of the journey of our love_

_I love you so…_

Aoshi looked up as he heard footsteps and found Misao in the kitchen leaning against the wall for support. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Aoshi stepped forward.

"You really shouldn't be standing." Misao almost smiled.

"I should get going. Its late."

Aoshi glanced away. "You don't have to."he replied.

Misao reddened at his answer.

"I think I should."she whispered before she turned and made her way towards the door.

Aoshi reached put and grabbed her small wrist. Misao gulped before looking up at him. His icy eyes scanned her face.

"Where are we now….between you and me?"he asked.

Misao didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to feel either. Before she could answer, Aoshi spoke again.

"I meant what I said….I love you."

When he spoke those words, Misao felt her heart flutter in her chest.

"I don't remember our relationship."she responded, to which Aoshi felt crushed. "But…I know we had something very deep and special. I guess what I'm trying to say is that…I have no idea where to start from."

Aoshi looked down at her red face and slightly chuckled, which made Misao slightly annoyed.

"I'm trying to be serious here!"she yelled.

Aoshi stopped laughing and gave her a dazzling small smile.

"I'm just happy, Misao." Misao blushed and looked away.

Aoshi lightly nudged her to get her attention.

"I'll walk you to your apartment."he whispered.

Misao gulped and laughed nervously. "N-no, I should just go by myself. Goodnight."she said and made her way out.

She stopped midway and looked back at Aoshi, who just merely stared. She turned back and closed the door behind her when she was out in the hallway. She whimpered at the pain pulsing from her ankle. She cursed at herself for wanting to be cool in front of Aoshi. Once in her apartment, she plopped down on her couch and sighed. She was alone, without Kaoru and pretty soon, it would be a permanent arrangement. Her eyes drifted towards her door. She didn't want to be alone and no matter what, she kept thinking of Aoshi. She knew she felt something for him but it was too soon to know if it was love. She wondered what it was like for her to love him. She wanted to see his smiles more. She wanted to feel him grab her hand. She shook her head and decided to change into a pair of sweats and a white shirt. She brushed out her hair, all the while thinking if Aoshi liked her with long hair. Misao slammed her brush down on her bed and sighed. She made her way towards the living room and looked around the apartment. She felt a lump in her throat as she realized that she didn't even want to be in the apartment. She felt anxious. She clenched her fist as she made her decision. She bolted out of her apartment and across the hall.

As she knocked on Aoshi's door, she felt her face heat up. When the door swung open and Aoshi stood hovering above her, she could do nothing but stare into his eyes. Aoshi grabbed her hand and pulled her into his apartment and pressed her against the door in a desperate hug. Misao clung on to his shirt as they stood in silence. After a minute, she felt Aoshi pull back and look at her. She smiled at him.

"I don't want to be alone. I kept thinking about you."she whispered.

Aoshi seemed to have blushed but then he turned away from her.

"Lets sit."he said and led them to the living room.

It was then that she noticed Aoshi in a pair of grey sweats and a simple muscle shirt. She sat down and looked on as Aoshi brought out a journal. He placed it in her hands.

"This was something you gave me when we were younger. It will help you recover more memories."

Misao ran her hand over the cover of the journal. She smiled gratefully at Aoshi.

"Thank you."she replied.

Aoshi sat back down next to her and just sat in silence as Misao read the first page of the journal. When Misao finished, she managed to laugh.

"I sound like such a school girl." Aoshi's lips turned into a small smirk.

"Because you were."he replied.

Misao closed the journal and set it on the coffee table.

" I'll save the rest for another day. This day has been a powerful one."she said as she turned to look at Aoshi.

"I was just about to make something to eat. Are you hungry?"he asked.

Misao nodded and followed Aoshi to the kitchen. She sat in a chair and watched Aoshi as he moved about the kitchen. As she watched him, she couldn't help but feel like this was normal for them. She couldn't remember what they had shared but she felt that this was the right thing to do. She looked on in awe as Aoshi placed a plate in front of her. She realized that Aoshi had cooked her favorite, sukiyaki. Aoshi sat down across from her.

"I know it is your favorite."he said in a whisper.

Misao smiled. "Yeah, it is. You know, I feel bad. You know so much about me…I don't know anything about you."

Aoshi looked at her and then smiled. "It's not your fault…but I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Misao took a bite of her dish and thought. She seemed to have brightened when she came upon a question.

"Tell me about your family." She replied.

She listened closely as Aoshi talked about his parents and how much he missed his grandfather. Aoshi continued to tell her about how his life was in Spain, about the times when he missed her and the times when he had done things at random. When they were done eating, he stopped talking and grabbed her plate and placed it in the sink. Misao was told to sit in the living room and she obeyed. She smiled to herself as she sat on the living room floor. She was beginning to feel that the void in her life was being filled. By the time Aoshi entered the room, he was carrying two mugs of teas. Misao accepted her mug and sipped quietly as Aoshi drank his tea. She couldn't stop looking at him and she knew that he noticed. When Aoshi looked in her direction, Misao froze.

"Something wrong Misao?"he asked.

"No, just thinking." She answered before looking away towards the wall.

She looked at the clock as it flashed to reveal it was now early morning.

"You should sleep Misao."she heard Aoshi say.

Misao gulped down the last of her tea. "Yeah, I should."

Aoshi helped her up. "You can take my bed Misao."

"Then where will you sleep?"she asked in a shy voice.

"I will sleep out here Misao." He replied. Aoshi led Misao to his room but before he could leave, she grabbed his arm.

"Aoshi…can you sleep in here too?"she asked, her face glowing brightly red.

Aoshi looked at her eyes before he nodded. "I'll sleep in here…on the floor." He said.

Misao smiled and climbed into his bed. Aoshi neatly organized his bedding on the floor and soon they were engulfed in darkness. Misao looked up at the ceiling as she thought about the eventful day. She really felt overwhelmed. She couldn't help but feel confused too. She didn't know what to do. She turned on her side and looked over the side of the bed and looked down at Aoshi. She swooped her arm down.

"Aoshi…can I hold your hand?"she whispered.

She didn't receive an answer but only felt Aoshi's hand slipped into hers. Misao felt his grip tighten after a while. She smiled before she slowly slipped out his grip. She remembered the song that was playing earlier. She didn't remember the first time they held hands, but this moment would replace that memory.

"Aoshi…lets go on a date…soon" she whispered as she flipped back onto her back. Her eyes scanned the ceiling as she waited for his reply. Her heart raced and she felt her blush spread.

"We can go to the park. You always loved parks."

Misao smiled to herself. "Of course" she replied as she shut her eyes.

She smiled when Aoshi's hand grabbed hers. She slowly closed her eyes and dreamt of things she didn't remember but knew that were true.

"_**Aoshi….do you think we'll be together in the future?" a seventeen year old version of herself asked to a young version of Aoshi. **_

_**Aoshi sat back in his chair and thought before he answered. "Of course. You're the only future I want."**_

_**Misao giggled and blushed. "Aoshi, I love you."she said as she hugged herself to him. **_

_**Aoshi embraced her, resting his face in her neck. "I love you, and I will only ever love you." he whispered before he kissed her.**_

AN: YAY!!! My last chapter for this story!!!!! I am finally done. Once again, I'm sorry for the long wait. I promise that my future fanfics will not take this long. This is my holiday gift to everyone who read my story, thank you so much!

The song I used in this story, as many might or might not know, is called " Ai Oboete imasu ka?". It was my main inspiration for this chapter. I love Macross and Lynn Minmay's songs. I encourage everyone to listen to it, it's really a great song.

Another thing, I shall post another fanfic in a couple of days, once Christmas is over, it would mean a lot if you read and reviewed it! Once again THANK YOU!! Happy Holidays!!!


	8. BIG NEWS!

Big News!!!!

First and foremost, I'd like to say BIG THANK YOUS all around for everyone who read my story, liked it and reviewed. Thank you!

Now on to business!

I felt a little unsatisfied on how I finished the story. I liked the ending but I know that if I was reading this, I'd want to see how their life turned out. SOOOOOOOOO…as of now, I am writing an epilogue to this story! YAY!!!!!

Depending on my creativity (or lack of)…it might be a long epilogue consisting of one entry…lots of words and whatnot .

For those of you who would like to see an epilogue, please wait …hmm…about a week from today. I promise to have it up within a week.

Also, I know I said I was going to write new Aoshi/Misao fanfics and I am glad to say that I will also post a new fanfic of the pair within the week…at the latest, 2 weeks.

Please continue to read and review, for that makes me all warm and squishy inside. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9 Epilogue

A/N:: As I said before, I was a bit dissatisfied with the ending and so I decided to write an epilogue. I hope you guys enjoy it.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

When Misao awoke on the next day and found Aoshi sleeping on the floor, she didn't know what to do. She wanted to get out of bed but she was afraid that if she did, Aoshi would wake up. She remembered everything about the night before and blushed as she remembered that he held her hand. She quietly turned on her side and stared at the sleeping Aoshi. She looked at the way he breathed, the way that his lips moved, the sound of his light snores. She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize when Aoshi opened his eyes and stared up at her. When Misao finally noticed, she blushed in embarrassment.

Aoshi continued to stare at her and Misao could only blush harder. She pulled the covers upward to cover herself but Aoshi reached out and grabbed them. Misao held her breath and waited to see what he would do. Aoshi smiled slightly and Misao swore she heard her heart hit her rib cage. Aoshi brushed back her hair.

"Don't hide from me anymore." was his simple response.

Misao instinctively covered her face with her hands and smiled. 'That was so romantic'she thought with a fan girl squeal.

She felt his hands around hers and let him pull them away from her face. He gently helped her up from the bed and looked down at her.

"We have a date today….we should get ready, its almost noon."he said.

Misao nodded and brushed off the non-existent dirt off her clothes.

"Let's meet in one hour."she replied and quickly made her way out of his room.

She tried to keep her cool because she could feel Aoshi's eyes boring into her back. She made haste and practically unhinged Aoshi's apartment door in order to make her escaped. Once back in her own apartment, she let out a very typical girly squeal while jumping around. She quickly stopped when the sudden ache of her ankle reminded her to be more careful.

Once Misao was ready, dressed in a simple blue sundress with a pair of blue sandals to match with a nice bun on her head, she stood in front of her door, anxious. She took a deep breath and yanked the door open to find Aoshi standing there, hand raised ready to knock. The blush crept back onto her face and she laughed nervously. Aoshi smiled softly and moved aside to let Misao out. They stood awkwardly in silence until Aoshi suggested that they get started. Misao happily walked along side Aoshi and enjoyed the comfortable silence that they had. It was then that Aoshi slipped his hand into hers. She bit her lip and blushed as she gently squeezed his hand in hers. They made their way to the park, light conversation flowing from them as they passed the scenery. Once in the park, they found the tree where they first met and sat down underneath it.

"Wait here, I'll get us some ice cream."voiced Aoshi as he stood and assured Misao.

watched as the people walked by. She heard the shuffling of feet approach and immediately looked up, expecting to see Aoshi. She sat, surprised to see Soujiro of all people standing before her. He smiled warmly, his eyes scanning her face.

"Misao."

Misao stood and faced him, confused as to why he was here. Soujiro smiled more when she kept silent.

"I saw you when you entered the park. I came to see if we could talk. I know this is going to seem a bit forward but I just want to ask…are you happy?"

Misao met his eyes in surprise. Her thoughts flew to Aoshi and she allowed an endearing smile reach her lips.

"I am. Are you?"

Soujiro smiled fully and nodded.

"We were never made for each other. I'm sorry for what happened. I played you the wrong way and I never meant for things to happen like they did. I really did love you at one point. I'm just sorry that it was short lived."he said and bowed to her.

Misao managed to smile. What she and Soujiro had was special, to her in her way, but special none the less.

"This might be the last time I see you. Yumi and I are going to go far away after our wedding. I'm glad I got to see you you smile for me…once more? I want to have a beautiful memory of you"he asked.

Misao blinked. It was so much like Soujiro to be so forward and straight to the point. He disliked beating around the bush.

Misao smiled and tried to blink away the tears in her eyes. Soujiro smiled and gave a little laugh. He quickly hugged her and kissed her forehead. Misao stood, looking into his eyes. With a final goodbye, he was gone, just as quickly as he had come to her. She stood and watched him walk further and further away from her until she couldn't see him anymore. She was glad that he didn't turn and look back. She wouldn't have been able to have kept her composure. She didn't want to say goodbye because she knew she would never see him again. He was just that kind of guy to never look back. Misao let a small laugh escape her lips and then turned around to search for Aoshi. She managed to see him making his way to her through the crowd. She thanked him as he handed her an ice cream. She noticed it was vanilla, her favorite. She felt the tears come back to her eyes. She felt very happy. She turned to Aoshi saw him occupied with his own chocolate ice cream. She watched silently, looking at his features and the way the wind moved his hair.

"Something on your mind?"he asked, surprising Misao.

She quickly shook her head and smiled. She bit into her ice cream carefully and looked away from Aoshi, trying to hide her blush. They continued to eat their ice cream in comfortable silence. When Misao was done she turned to Aoshi to find him on his back, looking up at the tree.

"To think, that this tree was the thing that started it all."he whispered.

Misao laid down next to him but decided to keep her eyes closed. She rested her hands on her stomach and breathed in the fresh air.

"Every breath I take in is fresh, just like every moment with you Aoshi."she said as she opened her eyes.

She turned her head to look at him and found him already staring at her. She smiled at him and looked up.

"This date is perfect."she voiced and stole a glance at him.

Aoshi didn't move and just kept looking at her. Misao blushed at the intensity. Aoshi reached out and took her hand and squeezed it gently. Misao turned on her side and scooted closer to Aoshi. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. Time froze for a moment for them. Misao knew she was going to love him more than ever before. Their moment of peace was disrupted by a sudden rumbling, followed by light drops of rain. Misao blinked up at the sky in surprise. What had happened to the sun? She guessed her question angered the sky because the rain came down harder. Aoshi quickly stood up and helped Misao to her feet. He grasped her hand and quickly led her away from the tree. He heard Misao yell over the sound of the rain. He stopped and turned to her.

"Lets head home Aoshi! It looks like the rain is going to last a while."she said.

Aoshi continued on, running with Misao to hurry to their building. By the time they made it back, they were thoroughly soaked. They quickly ducked into the building, leaving trails of water everywhere. Aoshi looked at Misao to find her staring at her feet. He looked down and noticed one of her sandals was missing and both her feet were muddy. She suddenly laughed and wiggled her toes. She brushed away her hair and turned to Aoshi. He looked like a model and Misao couldn't help but noticed how his clothes clung to him. Aoshi sighed as he squeezed out some water from his shirt.

"I should have checked the weather."he mumbled as he watched the water drip to the floor.

Misao laid her hand on his arm.

"It was fun."she added and smiled at him. She grabbed his hand and lightly pulled him along.

"We should change before we get sick."

They made their way up and stopped when they reached their apartments. They stood in front of each other not knowing what to do. Misao scratched her head and laughed nervously.

"I feel like a teenager all over aga- AHH!"

Misao reeled back, a hand over her eye and looked at an extremely embarrassed Aoshi. It took only a couple of seconds for Misao to realize what happened. Aoshi tried to spontaneous and romantic and tried to kiss her…but failed horribly and instead his nose poked her eye. However, she couldn't even imagine being mad at him for trying. She smiled despite the pain and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

When she pulled away, she stood on her tip toes and lightly brushed her lips against his. He responded to her and wrapped his arms around her to keep her close as possible. The kiss was light, but very passionate to them. They broke apart, hesitantly. Misao quickly opened her door and shyly looked at Aoshi.

"Goodnight Aoshi."

Aoshi smiled, making Misao's heartbeat increase.

"Goodnight Misao."

* * *

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun was out and shining, there was no work to go to, and most beautiful of all, there was no noise to disturb Misao's beautiful sleep.

CRASH!!!

Misao instantly cracked an eye open and groaned. She quickly kicked off the covers and ran out into the living room, halting instantly as she saw the many pots and dishes on the floor. Her eyes followed the trail all the way into the kitchen, where she found the culprit. In the middle of the kitchen, stood a two-year old Kenji Himura. Standing right next to the infant was her husband, Aoshi Shinomori, looking quite guilty.

"Whats going on here?"she asked, her hands at her waist.

Aoshi picked up Kenji in his arms before answering his wife. "We were just making breakfast. Kenji accidently opened the bottom drawer and everything flew out."

Misao sighed and rubbed her tired eyes before she made her way to them. Kenji reached out his arms to her and she readily took him in her arms.

"As long as Kenji is unhurt, I guess I can let this slide."

Aoshi raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "You seem unconcerned for me."he stated.

Misao managed to smile before answering, "You can take of yourself."

Aoshi rolled his eyes playfully before leaning down and capturing her pouted lips with his own longing ones. He pulled away and turned back to the stove while Misao put Kenji in his high chair. She ruffled his red hair and smiled. He looked exactly like Kenshin but had Kaoru's fair skin and eyes. Misao couldn't believe that Kenshin and Kaoru already had one child and a second one on the way.

"What time are Himura and Kaoru coming by?"asked Aoshi as he finished making breakfast.

Misao stretched and plopped down in a chair.

"Kaoru said they'd be by in the evening. Their flight lands today around 4pm."

Aoshi nodded and served Misao and Kenji plates. He sat down next to Kenji and began to feed the infant. Misao watched on with a smile. She had gotten married to Aoshi after 5 months of dating. To others it may seemed rushed but to them and their friends and family, it was about time. She never really recovered her memories and that always made her feel guilty. However, Aoshi didn't mind. He was happy to make new memories with her. Misao looked down at her wedding band. They have been married for two years and living in a new house down the street from Sanosuke and Megumi, who also have been married two years.

Misao ate her breakfast quickly, trying to hurry so that she may get started on cleaning. Aoshi checked his watch and sighed. Misao smirked.

"Did Jiya tell you to go into work today?"she asked as she picked up Kenji.

Aoshi nodded and stood. "He needs me for just a couple of hours. One of the chefs wouldn't be able to make it today so Jiya asked me to cover for him. I should get going."

Misao pouted but said nothing. She wanted to spend the day with him but it'd have to wait for a couple of hours. Aoshi ruffled Kenji's hair and kissed Misao goodbye before closing the door behind him. She stared at the door until Kenji lightly tapped her cheek to notify her that he needed to go to the bathroom.

"After this, we're going to the store okay Kenji? Aunt Misao needs to buy something."

Kenji merely nodded. Sometimes it was hard to believe he was only 2 years old. He was intelligent just like Kenshin.

* * *

By the time Aoshi made it back home, it was already past noon. Kenji was down for a nap and Misao was in the living room watching television. She smiled her precious smile for him and he felt his cheeks warm. She always had that effect on him. He sat down next to her on the couch and laid his head on her small shoulder. She reached out and stroked his face, soothing him.

"Are you hungry?"she asked, to which he shook his head.

"I ate already. Are you tired?"he asked.

Misao nodded her head. "Cleaning always makes me tired."she said and giggled.

Aoshi slowly stood and made his way to their room to change. He came back a few minutes later carrying Kenji, who had just woken up. The three of them sat on the couch, watching shows until they heard a soft knock at the door. Misao quickly opened it and came face to face with Kaoru. They exchanged over excited greetings before Aoshi showed up next to Misao with Kenji and his belongings. Kenshin eagerly took his son into his arms.

"Thanks again for looking after Kenji while we were away." said Kaoru.

"No problem. You know we love him very much. We just wished he didn't have to go so soon."replied Misao.

"We'll come visit this coming weekend. Thanks again."answered Kaoru and with that, they were gone, leaving Misao and Aoshi alone.

Misao stood still as Aoshi snaked his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. Misao relaxed and turned to face him. She searched his face and quickly kissed him, to which he responded. When they pulled away, they were somehow on the couch. Misao continued to stare at Aoshi and he knew that something was on her mind. He pulled her close to him and looked into her eyes.

"Something is on your mind…tell me."

Misao couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips.

"You have to guess."she said teasingly.

Aoshi smirked and in a flash, flipped their position so that Misao was now lying underneath him and he hovered above her. He bent down and gave her soft kisses on her eyelids.

"Good or bad?"he asked.

Misao giggled, "Good. Very good."

Aoshi continued his assault.

"Hmmm…Is it that you love me so much that you decided to never look at another man as long as you live?"he teased.

Misao laughed and nodded. "I thought I covered this in my wedding vows?"

Aoshi smirked and softly kissed her neck, which caused Misao to laugh more. He mumbled into her skin and she pulled away.

"Must I keep guessing?"he asked.

Misao bit her lip for a second and then she wrapped her arms around her husband and whispered into his ear, "Aoshi…I'm pregnant."

She pulled back to look at him and saw that Aoshi was frozen still.

Misao giggled at his reaction. They had been trying to have children for about two months now. She had started feeling sick a month ago and she finally had finally taken three pregnancy tests while he was at work. She confirmed that she was now pregnant. She waved her hand in front of Aoshi's face, when he suddenly caught it within his grasp. He stared at Misao seriously.

"When did you find out?"he asked.

"Today."she replied to him.

"How far along?"

"Maybe a month."

Aoshi couldn't help the smile that graced his lips nor the light in his eyes. He pulled Misao into a powerful kiss that left her breathless. She felt her eyes fill with tears because she was so happy. She felt Aoshi tightened his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him and slumped against his chest. She was finally living a new life with Aoshi and she couldn't ask for more. Misao stopped her enjoyment and suddenly pushed away from Aoshi. She quickly stood but it was too late, she ended up throwing up on the tile floor. She stared at the defiled floor and then looked at Aoshi who sat on the couch just looking at her. She immediately glared at him and sniffed.

"I hate you Aoshi Shinomori….LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!!"she wailed.

Aoshi groaned. He forgot that pregnant women had raging hormones. He felt the full onslaught of a cushion hit his head and groaned once more. Damn hormones were going to kill him ,but for Misao, he'd gladly endure it. Another hit to the head and Aoshi sighed.

A/N:: The End.


End file.
